Chapter 185 : Chapter 185
Chapter 185
The White Lord, Obro Denoebang.
The greatest in the West.
A hero among heroes, known to all.
The title ‘White Lord’ originated from his Ars.
His ability to summon eight sacred swords resembling a noble soul was named ‘Purity’.
He was a man worthy of being called a hero even bare-handed, but when he wielded the eight swords of ‘Purity’, he displayed a majesty that was difficult to compare with anyone else.
‘A great… no, an outstanding man, to whom the word “magnificent” is more fitting.’
I remembered.
I remembered what kind of man Obro Denoebang was.
He was a man who stormed through battlefields, making Shion Pollinglight seem shabby.
Just before his death, he had even taken four of the Ten Great Generals of the Empire with him as companions.
Moreover, one of them was the Two-Flame Grand General Sen Hostanio.
Whether to call him a monster or a superman, any modifier was insufficient to describe Obro Denoebang.
He was Obro Denoebang.
No expression could surpass that.
‘That is why his absence is a painfully large void.’
Eight years since the White Lord disappeared.
As I deliberately poked at the pain that everyone had kept unspoken, the air settled heavily.
Desep Denoebang's face, in particular, flushed a deep red.
He finally shot up from his seat, emanating streams of killing intent.
“I can’t listen to this any longer……!”
Desep Denoebang was over seventy years old.
But he had the same spirit as in his youth, and a fierce light blazed in his eyes.
If he had a sword at his waist, it seemed he would have drawn it immediately.
“Frankly, I had expectations for you, Shion! I thought that no matter what kind of man you were, you would be of help to us.”
He was in a complete frenzy.
No one stopped him.
And for good reason, as the vanished Obro Denoebang was Desep Denoebang’s youngest son.
It seemed only natural for him to be angry when the story of his missing son was brought up so carelessly.
“But you just spout whatever comes to your mouth! How could someone like you be here……!”
“What if, I say.”
I cut him off.
“Imagine that about a month ago, I came to you and said this.”
My blue eyes shone.
“This peace is all a deception. The Cordis Empire will soon attack. Ten Great General Nana will come leading three legions, and even the Whale of Hobel Bay will be with them.”
“…….”
“But I will block all of this by myself.”
I was just recounting what had happened.
But it clearly revealed that I had achieved an absurd accomplishment.
The Elders were all rendered speechless.
I smiled and asked.
“Would you have believed me then?”
……There’s no way they would have believed me.
They all would have considered it nonsense.
But that was the reality.
The Empire had indeed attacked with a large force, but I had blocked it alone.
Desep Denoebang couldn't say another word, nor could he sit down, fidgeting in the middle.
“He is right.”
It was Hika Hireium.
He gestured to Desep with his eyes.
Only then did Desep sit back down.
Hika Hireium was the master and leader of this place. His words carried appropriate weight.
“We cannot yet know whether Shion’s words are lies or not.”
“I appreciate that, Elder Hika.”
“I understand your intentions well. So what do you want us to do?”
“Trust.”
The smile vanished from the regressed prince's face.
“I am already prepared. I will find him even if you try to stop me.”
Desep's face turned dark.
“I would appreciate it if you would please trust and wait.”
“We will do so.”
“It would be even better if you could provide support from time to time.”
“We will do that as well.”
Hika tapped the table.
He had definitely looked like a middle-aged man at first, but now he looked like a boy of about fifteen.
Yet no one paid it any mind. It seemed they hadn’t even noticed.
“If what you say is true, your schedule must be tight. Shouldn’t you be on your way?”
“I would be grateful if you let me go.”
“Then be on your way.”
Hika Hireium gestured to me.
No one could hold me back.
“We old folks will take care of the trivial matters, so you go find the White Lord as you said.”
“I was going to do that anyway.”
“But keep one thing in mind.”
Hika's eyes flashed.
It was a spirit that would make me take a step back.
“What we want is the White Lord, not Obro Denoebang.”
***
“They are more docile than I thought.”
Amethus said.
“Not like those who hold power.”
“Because it’s a crisis.”
The carriage rattled.
It wasn't news that the roads in the West were inferior to those in the Empire, but the roads in this area were particularly rough.
Countryside is countryside, I see.
I grumbled quietly. My bottom ached.
“The Empire will soon invade, and there are no suitable countermeasures. They must be feeling like they’d grab at straws.”
Even if they were the pinnacle of the West, it would all be for naught if the West fell.
“And there’s nothing for them to lose. I’m saying I’ll do everything if they just stay put.”
“Hmph.”
“It worked out well for me too. I was very dismissive, but they aren't people to be dismissed.”
I grumbled.
“If we had continued talking about running a country, my own lack of depth would have been revealed quickly.”
Shion Pollinglight was a regressed hero.
He had gone through countless battlefields.
He was skilled in military strategy and command, and his personal martial prowess was not lacking either.
But he was not a politician. He knew how to win battles, but he did not know how to rule the people.
He knew his own limits.
What he could rule was just Merion, a single city. And even that was impossible without help from people like Conteano Del Conti or Serena de Verchello.
It was because he had lived as a hero for too long, and had developed a habit of doing everything himself.
No matter how much of a regressor he was, he couldn't remember every little detail and many things had already changed.
He was not at a level where he could have deep conversations with the leaders of a nation.
“More importantly, do you know the White Lord, Amethus?”
“How could I not?”
Amethus was hugging his double-edged sword.
The carriage was so cramped that he couldn't possibly wear it at his waist.
He was slightly annoyed about why I had rented such a small carriage despite having so much money, but he didn't say it out loud.
“The Cordis Empire recognizes only three things in the West, after all.”
“One is painting, one is wine, and the other is…….”
“The White Lord, Obro Denoebang.”
The White Lord's name was renowned even in the Empire.
It had to be.
The story of how Two-Flame Grand General Sen Hostanio, who had recklessly visited the Denoebang family to challenge him, admitted defeat just by exchanging glances still circulated among gossips.
There were many rumors about the White Lord.
That he had cut down three hundred knights with a single swing of his sword, that he had climbed the great mountain range bare-bodied, that the Great Emperor Continua had tried to have him even if it meant giving up a country……. Surprisingly, they were all true.
“But 11 years ago, he took responsibility for the ‘Night of Silence’ incident and resigned from all public posts. Afterwards, he wandered the West and finally went missing 8 years ago ……a regrettable affair.”
“Tell me more, Amethus.”
“Hmm, I was busy myself when he went missing, so I don’t know the details, but…….”
To be precise, it was when Amethus was just establishing his position as Ferbias’s confidant.
“There were a few hypotheses about the reason for his disappearance. That he saw the end of the sword and finally ascended to the heavens, that he grew weary of the world and left for the far east, or that he disappeared into the northern forests for further training……. I personally support the hypothesis that he left for training.”
Because there is no end to the path of the sword. I nodded.
“You would have, Amethus. After all, you like the sword.”
“…I do?”
“Your hobby is training, isn’t it?”
“Well… that’s true.”
I looked out the window.
The greenery was lush.
We were steadily leaving the city and heading towards the countryside.
Seeing how the road was unbelievably bumpy, it seemed our destination was not far.
“But there’s something people don’t know. The White Lord doesn’t really like the sword.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. He told me so himself, that he wanted to teach children.”
“…I can’t believe it.”
He reached such a level without even liking it?
Since it was my word, it couldn't be a lie, but it was still hard to believe.
“And one more thing. People think he’s detached from worldly affairs, but… 8 years ago, he was only twenty-nine years old.”
Isn't that the perfect age to stumble while trying to take on responsibilities beyond your capabilities?
I chuckled and Amethus looked up.
His innate intuition read a deeper meaning in my words than I had said.
“…Is that why you came here?”
Amethus asked.
“That the White Lord has been recuperating in a countryside like this for 8 years? Not in the heavens, nor the far east, nor the northern forests?”
“Something like that.”
“Was he so badly injured that he can’t use his sword anymore…….”
What a huge loss, such a shame. Listening to Amethus’s murmuring, I grinned.
“His body could be perfectly fine.”
“Then why would he be hiding?”
“Who knows. Maybe he got scared?”
“Ha!”
Amethus couldn't help but let out a scoff.
He knew his opponent was me, but it was hard to hold back.
“That kind of joke doesn’t work on me, Shion.”
“You’ll know soon enough whether it’s a joke or not.”
I stuck my head out the window.
“Cornelius! How much longer?”
“…Hmm, we’re really almost there. I can see the village.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“…Not at all. But I never thought I’d be acting as a coachman.”
“A suitable reward will be added to this salary.”
“I never thought I’d be acting as a coachman, but I’ve found an unexpected aptitude! I am so grateful!”
The mustached mage gripped the reins tightly.
There was some resistance to making a four-star mage drive a carriage, but since the secrecy of their work was so important, it couldn't be helped.
“Do you see anyone at the village entrance?”
“…Hmm, let me see.”
Cornelius raised one hand to his eye. The magic of the three stars, ‘Clairvoyance’. It was extremely simple for him. Cornelius’s brow furrowed.
“…An old man is holding a sword.”
“Mean-looking, right? And skinny.”
“…Yes. But I know that face. Isn’t that Desep Denoebang? The Lord of the Denoebang family.”
“That’s right. Keep going. It seems he’s waiting for us.”
I chuckled.
“See, Amethus. We came to the right place.”
“…….”
“The Lord of Denoebang himself has come to guide us.”
***
Desep was the lord of the Denoebang family.
He was also one of the Elders of the Dawn Brotherhood, a man of too high a station to be leisurely waiting for someone in a countryside village like this.
He was a powerful figure, enough for even Cornelius Merhes to recognize his face.
Desep Denoebang glared at the approaching carriage with his beloved sword at his waist.
If he had his way, he would have split that carriage in two right now.
If Amethus, sensing his spirit, hadn't countered with his own aura from inside the carriage, he might have at least cut off a wheel.
The carriage stopped and I got out.
Wearing a sly and annoying smile.
“Lord Desep! To see you in such a remote place!”
“…Of course. This village is the private property of the Denoebang family.”
“Is that so?”
I continued.
“More importantly, it seems you came in a hurry right after the meeting ended. To have arrived before us.”
“…….”
Desep slowly raised a finger and pointed at me.
“……You said you would find Obro.”
“I did.”
“Then why are you in a place like this?”
“Why, indeed?”
At the innocent reply, Desep covered his face with his hands.
He had no choice but to accept it.
“……As I thought…….”
Desep gritted his teeth.
“……You came knowing.”
“From the very beginning.”