The false hero volume 2, p.3
The False Hero, Volume 2, page 3
They look like flattened slugs—just simple blobs of goo. Can they even see or hear?
“They don’t seem very smart, do they?” Lutz says.
“Of course not. Any creature that lives by destroying a forest must be stupid.” I make a completely rational comment. “Let’s switch to close combat.”
I reach down to the weapon I keep curled around my waist like a belt. I grab the large sickle, unwind the length of chain attached to it, and use my other hand to grasp the smaller sickle connected to the other end of the chain.
I hold the double chain sickle in both hands as I look to Lutz. He smiles back at me, his blue, mithril spear already resting in his hands.
[Inventory] is such a convenient skill. It makes me a bit jealous.
“Let’s go.” I dash out from our hiding spot, charging toward a nearby slime.
When I get within range, I send the sickle whipping out in an arc. I control its trajectory using the nearly ten-foot length of chain, directing it into the center of the slime’s body. It slices through without an ounce of resistance, and I reel the sickle back in, catching it as it arcs back to me.
Weak. This will be over in an instant.
There’s a group of slimes clustered just ahead of me as they devour a fallen tree. In one fluid motion, I leap forward and ready my weapon once again.
The entirety of the chain sickle begins to glow a soft red, and I send it flying. With the activation of the weapon skill, [Dominion], I can use my mana to control the movement of the sickle as it whips through the air. My weapon traces an unpredictable path, making quick work of the slimes in a single attack.
A group a few steps away begin to slither in my direction. I release [Shock], and tendrils of electricity arc from my body in a large radius in front of me, causing the slimes gooey bodies to come to a halt as the paralysis effect sets in. Some of them even die immediately, despite the spell’s low damage.
The radius on my [Shock] spell is every bit as large as Lutz’s, and the paralysis effect is just as powerful, despite my spell being one rank lower. Lutz says it’s due to my Unique Skill, [Child of Magic], which increases the damage and effects of all my spells.
I’m grateful that I’m at least more competent than Lutz in my specialty—magic. It would be disheartening to be his inferior in every way.
I mop up the slimes around me quickly, and soon, every enemy within sight is slain, save for one.
I look at Lutz’s spear. It’s skewering a slime, pinning it to the ground. It writhes, attempting to escape its impalement.
“Weird. They usually die in one hit, but sometimes they don’t—like this one.” Lutz nudges the immobilized slime with the tip of his boot.
I walk up to the wiggling slime and take a close look at it. Within the center of its green, gooey body, I spot a small shadow. I slowly stick the tip of my sickle into the slime until it pierces that shadow. Immediately after, it dies.
“A core.”
“So that’s it. The only way to defeat them is to destroy their core. Good to know.”
“Yes. Not a problem since they’re weak, but…” I look at my chain sickle and notice that the slime’s acidic bodies have begun to dull the blade.
“Yeah. Looks like we need to use our backups.”
After equipping ourselves with disposable weapons, I lead Lutz toward the next group of slimes. As before, we wipe them out with ease and continue on until we reach a small pool of green goo. As I stare at it, a slime crawls out and begins to slither over the decayed forest floor in search of food.
Lutz’s eyes light up. “A monster spawner!? Laya, have you ever seen something like this before?”
“No. And why are you getting so excited about a pit of goo that’s creating these disgusting slimes?”
“Well, the whole slime thing kinda sucks, but just the fact that monster spawners exist in this world opens up a lot of possibilities.”
“Ah. For ‘farming experience’, right?”
“As expected of my partner.”
Lutz turns his head toward me, and my eyes take in the warm smile on his lips. “O-of course I understand. But we need to destroy this one.”
“Well, I agree with you, but how?”
“Um … magic?”
“Eh, why not.”
Lutz releases a [Fireball] at the pool, and it explodes on impact, sending bits flying through the air. A shrill scream emanates from the pit of goo, and we immediately prepare for battle, but nothing happens.
“Huh. Just like that? How anti-climactic. I was expecting a huge, alien-like slime to come crawling out of the pool or something, you know?”
“I’m just happy the forest can start to regrow.”
After mopping up the rest of the slimes, we walk back into the village. The villagers are gathered in the center of town, and when they spot us, a group of men step forward, holding pitchforks and shovels.
“Is there a problem?” Lutz asks when we get close enough to speak without yelling. There’s an undeniable edge in his voice, and some of the villagers begin to fidget nervously.
“Hey, girl—remove your hood,” a large man says.
I look at Lutz and he nods, so I pull the hood of my cloak down, revealing my features. Brown hair, styled in a classic twin-tail, flows down the sides of my head, and I stare at the nervous villagers with my brown eyes.
“S-she’s human?” The large man looks confused. “You—you’re the False Hero, aren’t you!? Where’s the elf girl!?”
“Huh?” Lutz feigns ignorance. “The False Hero? Do you know how serious an accusation like that is?”
“T-that’s…! You match the description, and there’s the little girl…”
“So you accuse us without evidence? Even after obliging to your demand to show our faces? Don’t push your luck.”
I look at the villagers with clear indignation. “Pitiful. You can’t even gratefully accept our hard work.”
“M-maybe we were wrong, after all,” another villager says.
“Don’t be fooled! They’re hiding something! I know it!”
“I’ve got no interest in humoring you anymore; we’re leaving. I suggest you move out of our way.”
Even the large man’s face pales when met with Lutz’s cold stare. They’re blocking the road that leads back to the main highway, but they scramble out of our way when we begin walking toward them.
“Be grateful,” I say as we pass by them. “Nobody else cared about your little town.”
When the village is sufficiently behind us, I see my hair change color once again—back to its natural blue-green. No doubt my eyes and ears have also reverted to their original color and shape as well.
“Man, [Transform] really eats through my mana,” Lutz says. “I only kept it active for a few minutes, yet I already feel the early effects of mana exhaustion.”
“Dark magic often comes with side effects.”
“I noticed, but as long as I understand the danger, I can still use it safely.”
Thinking about Dark magic always brings to surface the elves most hated enemies: the vampires. Their anarchic society and unashamed use of Dark magic is the polar opposite of everything the elves believe. Unfortunately, their homeland borders our own, and conflicts between us are far from rare.
I continue to walk by Lutz’s side as the village behind us fades into the distance. Eventually, we make it back to the main highway and continue toward the next village infested with monsters. It takes us a few days, but we manage to save all of them. More importantly, we level up.
I’m now level 19, while Lutz is level 22. Weak monsters don’t even give Lutz experience anymore, and the amount I get per kill is getting low, as well. I need double Lutz’s experience, but that’s not a problem when the monsters are near my level. That’s not the case anymore.
“Laya, we’ve outgrown these weak monsters. We need to find stronger ones. Any ideas?”
“Mmm. Strong monsters don’t live near cities. The humans hunt them.”
“So, we need to go somewhere more rural, like the time I found that young salamander living in a cave deep in the forest? Still, there’s no guarantee we’ll find an efficient leveling spot if we just roam randomly. Plus, there’s a chance we’ll encounter a monster that’s too strong for us.”
“There is … another choice.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it.”
“Dungeons.”
“Seriously!? Dungeons!?” Lutz steps in front of me and lays his hands on my shoulders. “Hey, hey—is it filled with monsters and treasure!?”
“D-don’t hug me so suddenly!” I feel my face flush from the unexpected, close contact.
“Huh? What about this looks like a hug to you? Anyway—the dungeons!” He looks into my eyes, pleading for more information.
“I know, alright!?” I give in to his exaggerated display of desperation. “They have monsters that get stronger as you go deeper, so it’s easy to find an area that’s an ‘efficient leveling spot’, as you say. Also, if you make it to the last floor, there’s a monster that guards a chest full of treasures.”
“Yes! That’s it, then! To the dungeon! Where’s the closest one!?”
“I don’t know. I grew up in the elven lands to the east, remember?”
“Ah, that’s right! We need to get a map that has the dungeons listed on it. This one just has the major highways and surrounding towns.” He peers at the map we’ve been using until now.
“Hmph. Dungeons aren’t so great.”
“Eh? Why not? Is there something wrong with them?”
“The vampires used Dark magic to create them.”
“Well, I know Dark magic is illegal, but does that make the dungeons dangerous?”
“I don’t know; I’ve never been in one.”
“Then it’ll be the first time for both of us!”
“Didn’t you say you want to visit the elves?”
“Ah, you’re right! Maybe we can find a dungeon on the way…?”
“Give up on the dungeon.”
“That’s impossible now!”
As Lutz continues to speak fanatically about the superiority of dungeons, a gate comes into view ahead of us. It’s attached to a sturdy, wooden wall that surrounds a small city that’s a bit too large to be considered a town.
According to the map, the city is named Reim, and it’s our final destination before we turn east, toward my homeland.
Interlude 1
----- Rhys -----
Silence fills the command tent as the Kingdom of Orakio’s most distinguished commanders peer at the map sprawled atop the large, oval table that dominates the room.
Where are the three heroes? How long are they planning to make us wait this time?
All of the commanders gathered here are hardened soldiers that have had the harsh discipline required to survive in the military beaten into them from a young age. None of them have been late to the strategy meeting by a single second ever since I arrived at the battlefield.
Even I, Rhys de Eldridge, crown prince to the Orakian Kingdom, cannot easily show such disdain to military tradition.
Yet, despite the strict discipline they expect from both themselves and their soldiers, none of them make even a single disparaging remark against the heroes who have begun to be habitually late to every meeting.
Should I send someone to remind the heroes? No, that would only empower them even further…
When it comes to commanding and strategizing, there’s hardly a match for me in the entirety of the kingdom, but I’ve never been good at these types of political maneuvers and schemes.
If it weren’t for my advisors, I’d be at a severe disadvantage against the three heroes.
Thankfully, before my hand is forced into action, the command tent’s flap opens and the heroes step through.
Cedric takes a seat at the far end of the oval table. “Good evening, gentlemen.”
“Let’s make it quick tonight, boys. I’ve got another meeting scheduled soon.” Collette holds a piece of parchment in front of her as she reads from it, completely ignoring the others.
The rough sound of metal scraping against stone fills the air as Rolf sits in the corner of the tent, sharpening his two daggers with a whetstone.
“Now that we’ve all gathered,” I say, ignoring their impudence, “let’s discuss our next move.”
Collette’s sharp gaze falls on me. “What’s the point? You’re just going to ignore our input again and tell us how we need to be careful, despite easily defeating Chaos in every battle.”
“I haven’t ignored your opinions. I simply believe that there’s something we’re missing—some reason why the armies of Chaos have become so weak.”
A confident smile forms on Cedric’s face. “Isn’t it obvious? Having the Great Heroes here has turned the tide of the war. We should push our advantage and strike at their heart, as I’ve been saying these past few weeks.”
“Your strength is certainly a boon to our army, but there are other factors at play here.”
“Yes, yes.” Cedric waves his hand dismissively. “You’ve gone over this many times. Their generals aren’t engaging in battle anymore, right?”
“That’s correct. Before your arrival, the S and A-class adventurers were held in reserve until their most powerful fiends entered the battle. Those adventurers would engage the generals since the regular soldiers stand no chance at defeating them. However, even a group of two dozen top-class adventurers is just barely a match for a single general.”
“Maybe the adventurers are just that weak. With real heroes here now, perhaps they are simply too afraid to enter the battle.”
“No, I don’t think that’s the case. All of the fiends fight to the death, including the generals. I see no reason for them to suddenly show fear now.”
Collette sighs. “If you two are just going to argue again, then I’m leaving.” True to her word, she exits the command tent.
“She’s right,” I say to Cedric.” We cannot allow this meeting to devolve into bickering.”
“Then let us take the army and march into their lands! We will never end this war if we are too afraid to take the initiative!”
I look at the commanders gathered around the table. “What do you think?”
“It is a risk,” one says, “but the war cannot be won by sitting idle here.”
A female commander shakes her head. “I disagree. It’s obvious they’ve changed tactics. If we charge blindly into their lands, we could be playing right into their trap.”
“Yet the scouts we sent never returned. At this point, I fear that our inaction may be the greater risk.”
I hate to admit it, but he may be right. What if this moment of weakness is our chance to strike, and we’ve been sitting by, watching it pass?
A large part of me feels that caution is the wiser course, but even I cannot justify our slow progress much longer.
“We will prepare an invasion.” I look at each of the members gathered and see determination in their eyes now that our course of action has been decided.
“Hah. It’s about time! So, when are we leaving? Tomorrow?” Cedric’s excitement is on full display.
“No, we have many things to prepare. We will begin our campaign in a week’s time.”
“A week!? What’s the point in waiting so long after finally reaching a decision!?”
“We have to organize some of our forces to defend the towns and cities that border the lands of Chaos. When we march forth, they will be vulnerable to the fiends raiding parties.”
“It’s just a few villages! They’ll be safer the sooner we end this war!”
Just a few villages? Is that something a hero chosen by the Goddess should say with such conviction?
“As I mentioned during the last meeting, the raiding parties have been striking further and more frequently into our lands. I fear to imagine the destruction that may befall the citizens if we fail to prepare.”
Cedric grunts. “Fine, but we leave in a week, and not a second later!”
“I intend to stick to my word, Sir Cedric.”
Cedric and Rolf exit the command tent. I look around at the commanders and see bitter expressions plastered on each of their faces, even the one who agreed to the heroes’ plan.
“I’m sure each of you have much to prepare, so let us end this meeting here for today.” I stay seated as I watch them leave.
Father is right. The three heroes are not to be trusted.
Why would the Goddess choose them from among the world’s warriors and soldiers? Surely there must have been three souls somewhere in this vast world with the virtues of a hero and the strength to lead us.
Yet no matter how deplorable they are, we cannot afford to dethrone them from their positions of authority. Morale would plummet the moment we turn against them. I can only hope their strength is enough to lead us to victory.
As I’m lost in thought, a soldier enters the tent.
“Your Highness, we’ve received a report that another Chaos raiding party has been spotted crossing into our lands.”
“Size?”
“Standard small party. One Blighted and twelve Berserkers.”
“Dispatch a single platoon to intercept, reinforced with five mages. Send two more platoons to patrol the two major highways that lead deeper into our kingdom.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
No doubt they sent more than one raiding party. We need to find the others before they arrive at one of the towns or cities still populated with citizens.
We’ve evacuated all the townspeople close to the border, but that hasn’t stopped the raids into our lands. The fiends have no sense of self-preservation, meaning they will march deep into enemy territory without fear.
The lower-class fiends’ intelligence is limited, but the more powerful ones are not as stupid as many believe. The Blighted are capable of speech and can competently lead a small group of Berserkers. Yet, they continue to march into our lands to attack our citizens, knowing that they were given a suicide mission.
A human opponent would never employ such a foolhardy strategy. Their soldiers would mutiny if consistently ordered to suicide themselves in such a fashion.
