Chapter 21 : Chapter 21
Chapter 21: Mission (1)
I couldn't understand.
Saana, the newly appointed 3rd Head of the Sword, thought.
“Why?”
The direct-line siblings, I could understand if I had to. The mistresses might not get along, but the 3rd Sword Order had never harmed the siblings.
“Why.”
But even Simurtr?
Of course, the 3rd Sword Order of today was different from the past. The Head of the Sword had been replaced, and all the seditious elements had been purged.
Saana, who had been promoted to Head of the Sword due to this incident, had no intention of joining the succession competition or harming either the direct descendants or the adopted son.
No, she didn't even have the luxury for such presumptuous thoughts.
‘An order to return came down, so I returned, only to find the severed head of Keito, who had returned earlier due to injury, right before my eyes.’
Suddenly, the 3rd Head of the Sword, who was her superior, was beheaded.
Suddenly, a return order came down, and her superior, the 3rd Head of the Sword, died.
I became the Head of the Sword in a daze and was scrambling to get things in order when suddenly, an order came down to dispatch swordsmen for the Selection Ceremony.
“And the bastards I went to the trouble of dispatching get knocked out by the adopted son.”
Saana sat in her office, unable to even sleep.
The position of Head of the Sword, the leader of a group, was still too much for Saana, who had been an adjutant for five years, to handle.
She had never imagined she would get the position of Head of the Sword so quickly in the first place.
‘Still, I thought it ended well.’
The Head of the Senate of Elders, who had wanted the 3rd Sword Order to be dispatched, had for some reason started to take a liking to the adopted son.
According to the dispatched Deban, it didn't seem like the 3rd Sword Order had earned Simurtr's ire either.
“But why!”
The first outing of the selected Mecteras.
The fact that they were chosen as companions was, from the Sword Order's perspective, a rather moving event.
It meant they had beaten the other five Sword Orders, including the 6th Sword Order of that Aran Lubeil.
But seeing Simurtr’s name made my heart heavy rather than moved.
It felt as if an inspection team was announcing a visit, not young heirs.
‘I will not make the same mistake as the former 3rd Head of the Sword.’
The warning of the 6th Head of the Sword, Aran Lubeil, replayed in my head. That Aran Lubeil. Also known as the Hell of Mectera.
Saana, who had once encountered him as an instructor, still remembered that hell vividly.
Saana barely held back her tears.
‘If a disciple I taught ended up like that, this Head of the Sword would be terribly sad.’
‘You don’t have to worry!’
He spoke as if it were a pity, but Aran's voice was laced with killing intent. Saana remembered that killing intent clearly.
“Are you not going to answer? I asked why?”
Still recalling that memory, Saana asked with killing intent.
“What on earth did you do at the Selection Ceremony for this to happen? If you had just been knocked out, that adopted son wouldn't be doing this.”
Saana asked, showing a crumpled document.
It was a document detailing the mission given to the Mecteras this time. Simurtr’s name, faintly visible, was heavily circled.
“……”
Saana glared at her silent subordinates.
The three who had faced Simurtr at the Selection Ceremony. The two who were eliminated first. And Deban, who had his own throat slit last.
“Juyce, Moit. Shouldn't you two be speaking up right away? I didn't say anything even when you two were embarrassingly taken out immediately.”
The third test of the Selection Ceremony. Saana had, of course, seen the recorded video.
“I even took your side, saying the adopted son was just unusually strong. But you’re not going to take my side? Clamping your mouths shut like this?”
Despite attacking together, they had their hearts pierced on the first move like idiots. Deban had survived until the end, but that was thanks to the adopted son’s whim.
“……”
Juyce and Moit eventually nodded, but they couldn't open their mouths. Instead, they looked at Deban.
That admirable youngest one… is not afraid to take the lead.
He had a personality that spoke his mind. He also knew how to view all incidents objectively, so there was no one as suitable as him for reporting.
“Head of the Sword.”
It was the same now. Deban looked at Saana and smiled brightly.
“What.”
Veins popped on Saana’s face at Deban’s words and actions.
“Honestly, it's not something I should say since I got my ass kicked… but I really have no idea. Ah. Maybe because he likes me?”
While I fully sympathized with those words, his behavior was, separately, truly detestable.
Juyce and Moit were once again amazed at Deban’s demeanor.
They knew he was that kind of guy, but still.
“Wouldn't it be a good thing? Three of them are coming to our 3rd Sword Order. It’s a great opportunity to make a good impression in our half-ruined situation…”
To not stop talking even while seeing Saana’s face turning more grim by the second.
“Each of you, pick one.”
The office was turned upside down for a while.
Saana, having regained her composure, gave the three the choice of their companion.
This was when Juyce and Moit were clinging to her arms, and Deban, who had fled outside the office, came back in.
***
The first day of the mission dawned.
“The Huit Barony. I'm looking forward to it.”
Near the County of Jabad.
A place not only well within Janya’s sphere of influence, but also where the traitor Akarr Bahab was right around the corner.
The Huit territory was located between Bahab and Jabad.
“I just want to see that bastard’s face once.”
It had been a while since I felt this kind of excitement. I hadn't felt it much since I was reincarnated.
I didn't know who Janya’s forces were within the 3rd Sword Order, but I felt willing to spare them at least once later as a sign of gratitude.
Wasn't it thanks to them that my destination was set near the Hero Family of Bahab? In my current state, it seemed difficult to even see him from a distance, let alone attack him. Still.
“Just getting close is something.”
A goal should originally be kept where it can be perceived. It’s futile to wish for something you can neither see nor reach.
I didn't expect anything from this immediate mission.
Someday. If the opportunity arose. Simurtr wanted to confirm the healthy Akarr with his own eyes.
I hoped he hadn't changed. I hoped he was just as he was when he cut off my arm and neck.
I hoped not to hear any disgusting talk of him becoming good or having a change of heart.
“Well. I’ll kill him anyway, though.”
No matter how he changed, my feelings wouldn't be any different. When I kill him, an indescribable pleasure will likely take over my mind.
Simurtr stood up from the bathtub and generated heat with his magic. The water on his entire body dried up in an instant.
Normally, I would enjoy the dampness, but today was different. I wanted to prepare as quickly as possible and leave as quickly as possible.
“What brings you down so early?”
When I went down to the first floor, I saw a rather surprised Meram.
Aran, who was next to her, spoke for the gaping Meram.
Normally, I would have found fault with Aran.
Telling him why he was always loitering around my villa when the 6th Sword Order's residence was right next door.
“It’s a special day.”
But not today. Simurtr smiled brightly at the two of them.
Because even though I knew the probability of meeting Akarr Bahab was truly slim, the excitement wouldn't stop.
“Will you be alright? If you wish, I will have Naor secretly follow you.”
Aran, on the other hand, was thinking something else.
The possibility was high. But Aran trusted Janya. That is, he didn't think she would be that foolish.
To think she would pull such an obvious trick.
“Then it wouldn't be fun.”
Unlike Aran, Simurtr was half-convinced.
How vast was the Empire, and out of all those regions, why would a neighbor of Jabad be chosen? It was proof that Janya’s forces still remained in the 3rd Sword Order.
“…Be careful.”
“I’ll win.”
I had filled four lines of Pagna. It was like having four spare lives.
In the sub-space magic tool, there was also an Elixir given to the direct descendants. This should be enough. It wasn't like Jabad was overflowing with Sword Masters.
“…What brings you here?”
As I was about to leave, someone was standing in front of me.
Simurtr asked after confirming it was Medeoban.
“Leaving already?”
“Since I’m a burden, isn’t it my duty to leave first?”
From the Sword Order’s perspective, I was indeed a burden.
Leading young ones who were just stepping out into the world on a mission.
“Hah. Who could call my grandson a burden? Was it the 3rd Sword Order?”
“…It was a joke.”
Familial love. Simurtr had yet to notice Medeoban’s intentions. In the first place, who would have such sinister thoughts while looking at the tombstone of the deceased?
“I was joking too.”
Because of this, Simurtr frowned.
Hasn't his attitude been strange since the visit to the Repository? I especially didn't like being treated as a grandson. How old do you think I am?
“I heard you were going to the Huit Barony.”
“That’s right.”
“A place with Jabad on the left, and Bahab on the right.”
“Yes. And Viscount Huit likes Bahab.”
“…It is an understandable matter.”
The power of a Hero Family was different from the power of an ordinary noble.
And the presence of a Hero transcended such a Hero Family.
For a Hero Family was a byproduct that came with a Hero.
‘Mectera only has the byproduct.’
The power of a Hero was frightening.
It was not confined to within the Empire but extended to every corner of the continent.
Viscount Huit had declared himself a vassal of Bahab, where the Hero Akarr resided.
“Be careful.”
It seemed Medeoban had come just to say that. Seeing as he turned around, as if his business was done.
“Aren't we the same Hero Family? You must be acquainted with the Hero Akarr Bahab as well.”
Simurtr wasn’t finished. Since I ran into him, I wanted to at least cast a lure.
”Perhaps I could convey your regards…”
“…That’s enough. Acquainted. That is a bit disgusting.”
Medeoban, who cut him off, left the villa without even looking back.
***
The Huit territory was in the northeast of the Empire. A distance that took over a month even on horseback.
In my past life, I would have run, but the world had changed a lot. Simurtr used a magic gate.
“It is an honor to see you.”
The Mectera guard looked up to the direct descendants with sparkling eyes. The heirs of the Hero. This was how the world viewed the children of Hero Families.
‘It is strange, though.’
Simurtr looked at the rift that existed beyond the guard.
The rift, which should have been in the shape of a shattered glass… had become a well-maintained oval passage.
Originally, that was a gap and an invasion route that invaders existing in the rifts had forcibly torn and connected.
‘To think they would use it like this.’
The essence of advanced magic studies. This magic gate, which made one arrive at a designated coordinate, was said to have been made by modifying the passage of the Doom Species.
‘It would have been nice if it had been made sooner.’
It was something unthinkable in my past life. The damned Magic Tower probably conceived it, but anyway.
To think that the rift, from which the Doom Species constantly poured out and established their invasion, now served human convenience.
“I will go first.”
Moit was attached to Jahar.
He was one of the swordsmen whose heart had been pierced by Simurtr at the Selection Ceremony.
The duration was the same, but the region was different. Jahar’s extermination mission was said to begin in the southern part of the Empire.
“Let’s go.”
“You’re in charge of me?”
“You like it, don’t you?”
Simurtr grinned at Deban’s affability.
Definitely. He was the swordsman who had caught my eye the most since coming to Mectera.
‘He’s not one to suit Mectera.’
He had plenty of room to grow stronger.
He took defeat at the hands of the strong as a matter of course.
He knew his own level accurately, yet he accepted it without discouragement.
‘This kind of person lives long.’
One must know their place and reality to survive and become strong. Dreams and hopes do not light up the future.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and come here.”
Ael, who had already arrived in front of the rift, looked back. Next to her was Juyce, whose heart had been pierced.
“Go.”
…The rift was originally long. It took a considerable amount of time for the Doom Species to use the passage to reach the present world.
Simurtr, who had once entered a rift, had experienced its length firsthand.
“Oh.”
But the magic gate engraved with warp magic was different. I had only taken a few steps, yet the scenery had changed.
“It is an honor to meet the Hero Family of Mectera!”
The guard changed. He was a bit smaller, and the quality of his armor was lower. On his chest was the emblem of a leopard, symbolizing Jabad.
From the magic gate of Mectera, symbolizing the eastern Empire, to the County of Jabad in the northwest.
It was a moment when a month’s distance turned into just a few footsteps.
“Here!”
I saw Ael waving her hand from not too far away.
“This is amazing, isn't it?”
Simurtr gave a perfunctory nod at Ael’s words. I understood how Ael felt. She said this was her first time leaving the main castle.
“This is Second Mother’s maternal home?”
Ael continuously looked around.
Well-maintained roads. A crowd large enough to fill the streets. Dense and tall buildings.
She was seeing such a sight for the first time in her life.
‘It has changed.’
Exa in my past life had visited the Jabad territory. It had changed a lot, for the most part.
Though I didn't see anything that would give as much of a shock as the magic gate.
“Amazing.”
“Let's go. What’s the point in looking? This isn't Huit.”
The destination was Huit. Passing through Jabad was because Huit didn't have a magic gate, there was no other reason.
“Simurtr, aren’t you amazed? There are so many people here.”
“There will be more when we get to Huit. You’ll get sick of it soon. Because there are too many people.”
“Huit? That's a barony. This is a county.”
“You can tell it’s a festival.”
“So what?”
Ael tilted her head. Isn’t it natural that a county is bigger and has more people?
“It’s because of the Hero Festival right now. The people here will all be trying to cross over to Bahab through Huit.”
Deban spoke up for Simurtr, who clearly looked annoyed to explain.
“Aren’t you amazed, Sir Simurtr? It must be your first time in the Empire and at the Hero Festival.”
“What’s a Hero Festival.”
A lukewarm reply. That, however, stimulated Deban’s interest. Despite experiencing the Empire and the festival for the first time, there was no sign of surprise.
He walked through the crowd as if he were used to it. And yet he was amazed by the magic gate.
“It’s a festival to honor the heroes of the Doom War. The entire Empire is obligated to hold a festival during this period. For a total of 5 days, in line with the five heroes.”
‘Bullshit.’
Simurtr frowned, forgetting that Deban was watching. It was so obvious that it was aimed at public sentiment.
It was the same when I died in my past life. They tried not to kill Exa, fearing public sentiment.
“Don't get your hopes up too high. The Hero Festival is just an excuse. There’s nothing like a festival for winning public favor.”
“That’s true too… but it’s usually interpreted as having meaning for the heroes.”
“You’re a cynical kid.”
Simurtr pretended not to hear. To make a festival like this. Honestly, disgust came first.
When I saw them selling merchandise named after the heroes over there, I really felt like throwing up.
“So? So? What's the order? When is our Hero’s day?”
An excited Ael asked.
We set out on a mission, and it happens to be during a festival period!
“Today is the first day, Basor’s Day. The order of the Hero Festival is the same every year.”
“Ugh. Basor?”
Ael scrunched up her face and stuck out her tongue.
Basor was the holy land of the Magic Tower. Ael’s aversion to magic was something passed down through the generations of Mectera.
“Yes. And the second day is Bahab. The third day is the Saintess of Ruo, the fourth day is the Prophet…”
“Aha. So we’re the last day? The main character?”
“That’s right. As Sir Simurtr said, it's a festival for public sentiment. When it comes to recognition, Sir Exa Mectera is the best…”
“Stop. Stop talking and let’s go.”
Simurtr didn’t want to hear anymore.