Chapter 223

#223

Calcos Tribal Alliance (1)

“Hmm, the recovery is quite impressive. I expected some level of conditioning, but this healing speed surpasses my expectations. Are there any other discomforts?”

“Um… No, everything else is fine. In fact, I feel stronger than ever! Hahaha!”

The imperial hospital located at the outskirts of the Azerion Empire’s imperial palace.

An elderly gentleman in a white coat, the hospital director, nodded while looking at a tablet-shaped magical device filled with chaotic data.

“It’s not just your imagination. We used rare materials like the Manticore’s antidote and Inphillene’s flower, so it’s a natural result.”

“Oh, I see. I’m really grateful for that! So when can I be discharged?”

“Hmm— It would be best to monitor the condition of your eyes and arm for a few more days. Although they appear stable for now, there may be issues later.”

The director answered the questions with a deadpan expression, then asked a few more things before packing away the magical device and lightly bowing as he left.

“I think that’s enough for today. There’s a nurse waiting outside, so feel free to call if you need anything. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

After the director bid farewell and left, Hesperon, left alone, scanned the lavish hospital room and glanced at his right arm.

“The treatment is a bit overwhelming… but I guess it’s expected.”

Bandages wrapped from his fingertips to midway up his forearm, covered in various rune inscriptions.

This was the price of excessively using Hans’ special black magic equipment.

While the curse that spread throughout his body was manageable, his right arm was mutated down to the cellular level from a horrific curse, and doctors had ruled that amputation was the only option.

There were concerns that the curse could reverse and begin eroding again if left unchecked.

‘There’s really no need to go that far.’

Just two days ago, after regaining consciousness three days post-princess attack, a system message appeared before him.

《The individual has gained insights through repeated training. Acquired skill “Curse Resistance.”》

He had faced and overcome an overwhelming curse, obtaining a relevant skill in the process.

Of course, relying solely on that resistance skill could lead to disaster, but with the added sealing properties of the bandages, he wouldn’t have to worry too much.

‘It’s a bit frustrating that I can’t see out of one eye. But regular transplantation is impossible, huh? I thought maybe Hans might have a solution…’

He caressed the black eye patch embroidered with golden thread covering his right eye and sighed.

‘…What a mess.’

Even when he first regained consciousness and assessed the situation, he was left speechless in disbelief, and the confusion hadn’t lessened with the current verification.

‘That Harris and Harley are lost cases is one thing, but Hans is the real issue. I mean, I get what he’s trying to do, but…’

If he could take the setup laid out by the Oath of Reversal guys, great. Even if that wasn’t possible, he could disrupt them while accumulating as much karma as possible, and in the meantime, it’d provide justification for the hero party, including Harley, to intervene in the south.

A perfectly rational and clear move.

However, the problem was that the whole process felt extremely uncomfortable.

“Ah! I don’t know! It’ll somehow work out.”

In the end, Hesperon decided to give up on overthinking and buried himself in the plush hospital bed.

After all, no amount of his worries would significantly impact the avatars far away.

‘Everyone’s got their quirks to begin with, anyway. All I can do right now is…’

His gaze fell on the vintage books stacked on the side table.

[The Magical Argument on the Composition of Existence and Interaction of Objects]

[Exploring the Definition of Summoning & Contracts through Topitel’s Summary]

<.........>

Gifts prepared for him during his dull hospital stay.

Each and every one of them could only be accessed by affiliated wizards, and ordinarily, they couldn’t even be taken out, being magical books possessed by the Magic Tower of the imperial palace.

Naturally, these shouldn’t have been here, but the one who brought them to him was…

Knock—

“Excuse me, Hesperon-nim. Riley Carte, the princess of Azerion, has come to visit.”

Riley, the princess, who was busy with her tasks, made sure to visit him at least once a day.

As the nurse knocked and entered cautiously, she smiled brightly at Hesperon while hugging a new pile of books.

“Heron, how are you feeling today? I heard you’re recovering smoothly.”

She closed the door behind her, leaving her attendants outside, and placed the magical books on the table as she asked.

“It’s like I don’t need to recover anymore! I could be discharged right now, but I’m stuck here due to some cautiousness.”

“Still, you should follow the hospital director’s advice. He’s the best in this field on the continent.”

“Well, I can wait a few days, so it’s no concern.”

Shrugging lightly, he began sorting through the already read books when a thought suddenly struck him. He grabbed one and shook it towards her.

“By the way, Riley. Is it really okay for you to bring these magical books here freely? I’m thankful and all, but wouldn’t the wizards mind? I hope it doesn’t create any issues.”

Wizards, especially royal wizards, are typically not very accommodating.

Especially while solidifying her position as the heir, antagonizing them wouldn’t be beneficial for her either.

“Oh, that’s perfectly fine. Especially at a time like this. Of course, the Tower Master has already approved it.”

Though she spoke with a soft smile, her words carried a chilling undertone.

Among those targeting Riley, some were affiliated wizards from the Magic Tower.

It was evident that many who sided with them remained in the tower.

In the midst of her furious search for those involved, would there be anyone so audacious as to oppose the princess who came directly asking to borrow some books from the savior?

Unless it was an absolutely forbidden text, these were just ordinary books anyone affiliated with the tower could access.

‘Hmm… she’s smart, so she’ll handle it well.’

Hesperon nodded in agreement, confident that there wasn’t a problem since she said it was fine.

“Ah, by the way! Now that Heron has regained consciousness, I heard that Isea Onee-chan asked me to pass along her regards. She wanted to come directly since she couldn’t make it at the time of the incident, but she said she couldn’t do it right now and apologized.”

As she conveyed the message, Riley pouted her lips a bit with a regretful expression.

Outside this room, she was the iron-blooded princess commanding the northern winds, but here she appeared just like a cute girl of her age.

‘…I think I get what it’s about.’

However, he couldn’t help but turn his gaze away, unable to meet hers.

That was because he was one of the primary reasons for Isea’s busy schedule… no, he was one of the main reasons.

Hans, Heinrich, and Harley.

She was merely one of the victims caught up in their chaotic party.

Having recently crossed a desert into the southern tribal alliance— along with the rest of the hero party.

*

“Hah, how did I end up here again?”

Isea sighed as she gazed at the vast wasteland spread out before her.

Given the recent chaos in the empire, she planned to make a quick stop at the palace, but her plans went up in smoke with the sudden incident.

Initially, she thought it would merely be a minor happenstance when Harley made his sudden move, but Heinrich’s “prophecy” turned it into a serious matter that gave her no chance to back out.

‘The chief leader of the tribal alliance, now an instrument of the Undead King, is brainwashing other leaders to prepare for war against the continent…’

Indeed, the sudden declaration of severed ties had raised suspicions.

During the summit, the representative from the south hadn’t shown any signs at all, and the discussions had concluded very rationally.

But who would’ve thought that such reasoning lay beneath it all…

‘The fact that things have progressed this far indicates it’s even more dangerous than I thought.’

Although she was uneasy about the south’s movements, given the alliance’s structure needing consensus among leaders, she believed they wouldn’t wage an irrational war at this critical moment.

No signs of discord had been detected during the discussions.

‘But if the Undead King is involved, it makes sense. To distract everyone with undead and giants while preparing a war starting from the south…’

This method wouldn’t be violating the conditions for the saint either.

Regardless of what machinations were at play, the one instigating a war would be the Calcos Tribal Alliance, the same humans.

‘Wait, I heard the situation in the republic is also chaotic. Could it be that the Undead King has a hand in that too?’

Now, everything became suspicious.

She even began to wonder if the recent assassination attempt on Princess Riley was part of these schemes.

‘…Is it truly something like that?’

Anyway, this “prophecy” prompted the hero party to rush south to urge for war preparations.

While leaving the aftermath to others, they focused solely on a crucial task that only they could handle.

To eliminate the puppet master behind the incident in advance so that war wouldn’t break out at all.

‘Just us six, huh.’

She briefly glanced over at her companions.

“Initially, the continent’s alliance will start preparations, but if a real conflict arises, it will be a huge problem. We must do something before that…”

“Do not worry. The Holy God will illuminate our path. Therefore, for now…”

With serious expressions, Saint Liesta and Saint Heinrich conversed.

“The Undead King is here…”

Knight Geos stared harshly at the wasteland beyond.

“This is my first time in such a barren land; it’s fascinating. Personally, I don’t like this environment much, but it enhances the power of my main fire spirit, so it won’t be bad in battle.”

High Elf Lydia took a deep breath, marveling at her surroundings.

“Oho—? So this is the south.”

And the barbarian warrior Harley was wide-eyed, gazing at the desert unfolding ahead, absolutely thrilled.

‘Well, everyone is at least a hundred times stronger, but the opponent is the Undead King supported by a nation.’

A sigh escaped him involuntarily, but upon reflecting, the traditional role of a hero party wasn’t to fight directly on the battlefield.

They had simply lost sight of their primary purpose amidst endless chaos from resisting the undead army’s invasion.

Infiltration behind enemy lines, assassinating key figures, and disrupting supply lines and critical strongholds…

The organization originally known as the “Special Task Force for Countering the Undead King” had also followed this exact path, so there was no need to complain anew.

“Hahaha! I was ready to sprint across the desert, but it turned out easier than expected! Magic is incredible! Ahem!”

Just as she was struggling to think ahead about their future plans, the barbarian warrior, all carefree, burst into hearty laughter, completely unconcerned.

“Hah, Harley! This isn’t the time for such carefree laughter. We’ve made it to the south, but the real challenge is just beginning!”

Though they arrived here based on coordinates known previously, it wasn’t easy to pinpoint their exact target’s location because Calcos had a tendency for closed-off tribal movements.

As they wasted time like this, their information would naturally reach the chief leader, disrupting their plan of taking him down as quickly as possible.

‘In the worst case, we might have to fight against the entire tribal alliance without even seeing the chief leader.’

If he just kept running away, they might end up in meaningless battles, exhausting themselves.

“Huh? What’s the problem? It’s simple!”

Of course, it was hard to imagine this tower-like man wearing down and collapsing.

Isea looked at Harley, wondering if there was some unexpected clever scheme behind his flippant attitude…

“First, we invade their stronghold! We fight off anyone blocking our path! We smash all interruptions! Then we kill the chief leader! Where’s the problem with that? Wahaha!”

“Ah… yes… that does seem right…”

She thought there might be something more to it, and she was right.

In truth, her expectations weren’t high, so the disappointment wasn’t too great.

“Do not worry. We already know where to go.”

At that moment, the party leader, the hero, approached her confidently, as always.

He regarded the desert in a specific direction, his tone somber as he continued.

“The desert city over there, Beorsen— that’s our destination.”

“Is the chief leader there?”

“Yes, and besides that…”

Heinrich’s face hardened into a stiff expression.

After a brief pause, he continued slowly.

“The Undead King Han… Nibal Strauss is there too.”

*

In the stronghold city of Beorsen,

[…So, they finally come. Well, that’s not bad either. Hehe…]

In the largest building at the center, an existence engulfed in endless darkness gazed in one direction, letting out a low chuckle.

Anticipating a reunion after a long time.