Chapter 1448

Some people always greet others with a smile. Aris was one of them, her soul rotting on the inside, yet never forgetting her role.

Her party had four members in total. Aris the hero, Ballin the priest, Girul the orc vanguard, and finally, Mary the fairy mage.

Following the start of the mutated monsters and the imps’ rampage, a year and a half had passed since Aris was chosen as a hero. The four, despite their different races, had protected each other and survived all that time.

Too-too!!

Accompanied by a deep trumpet sound, the bodies of those who sacrificed their lives in the recent reconnaissance were slowly cremated in a solemn atmosphere.

“Hrk... Sob...!” Unable to hold back, Mary collapsed right where she stood. She wept as she watched the body of Ballin burn.

Girul stood silently by her side, keeping watch over her.

Wearing white, and with a hardened expression, Aris told Davey, “When we all first met, we didn’t get along. We all had different backgrounds, and our ways of thinking were different as well.”

She had first met Ballin in, of all places, a gambling den.

He'd been squinting as he flipped over his cards, only to get caught by an archbishop and dragged out by the scruff of his neck.

That was how it all began.

“All of us had a lot of issues. Ballin was barely thirteen years old when I found him gambling, and Mary was dragged out of her room where she was living like a hermit under the Fairy Queen’s orders. And Girul was...” She gave a bitter laugh. “He was the demon of the underground fighting scene.”

They were all individuals with vastly different backgrounds and ways of thinking.

“Then why did you choose them?”

“They were the only ones who could synergize enough with my power to achieve incredible strength.”

Yes, her power was fatal to imps and mutated monsters, but that wasn't all there was to consider. There were those whose talents bloomed under the influence of her aura, namely Ballin, Mary, and Girul.

“You wouldn’t believe what Ballin said the first time he saw me.”

- What are you lookin’ at? I'm already pissed off after losing. You want me to gouge your eyes out or somethin?

She chuckled softly, hugging the bible Ballin used to carry tightly to her chest. “I was extremely angry back then. Ballin and I fought and bickered pretty much every day.”

Yet, the party never fell apart. The world's situation was too dire to allow it. Perhaps all that fighting had turned into a strange kind of affection that grew between them, as well.

Before they knew it, Ballin and Aris had reached a point where, despite their constant grumbling at each other, they trusted each other implicitly and depended on one another.

“As time went on, we experienced so many things, with Mary and Girul joining along the way.”

The four, though they thought differently, had gathered under one single conviction. They’d resolved to drive out the imps and mutated monsters that were threatening their world.

“We knew that we might die someday. We never forgot that such a day could always be right around the corner. But... watching death firsthand feels so unfamiliar.” She slowly approached and placed the bible on the burning body.

“You said you believed in God... you said God would protect you,” she said, her voice quiet and hoarse from crying so much. She continued to cry with her swollen eyes, no others close enough to hear her.

“Did you believe in God so much that you went to be with them first? Oh, you idiot...” She had pretended to be fine in front of the others, yet once in front of his final remains, she could no longer keep up the facade.

Davey solemnly gazed upon the burning body, remarking, “At least he left without any regrets.”

“Left without any regrets? Do you even know what he looked like when he died?!” she shouted, fists clenched so tightly they looked ready to burst.

She didn’t scream out of anger at Davey. It was more a product of the rage inside that had enveloped her.

Davey slowly approached and retrieved the bible placed on Ballin. He then handed it back to Aris. “He saw them.”

She didn’t understand what he meant. “Saw... them?”

“Yeah. The truths he could only see after becoming a spirit.”

Ballin had finally managed to discover what kind of being Davey was. That included the troubles he was wrestling with.

It wouldn't have been strange if the boy had been angry, resentful that he wouldn't have died if Davey had stepped in from the start. Yet, it seemed he cared more about Aris and the others making it out alive than he did about his own life.

Because Davey didn't explicitly mention it, Aris had a different interpretation of what he’d said.

“I see... Ballin was a believer who served God. He finally saw the goddess, his lifelong wish...” She couldn’t help but smile before continuing, “The one thing he truly wished for after a painful life.”

Aris, believing that Ballin had been taken into the goddess’s embrace, hugged the bible even tighter.

Tears began to fall again. She mumbled, “What the... This is something to celebrate...”

The joint cremation of the fallen eventually concluded, bringing an end to their tales.

* * *

Once Aris returned to the others, there was a smile on her face once more.

“Though there were sacrifices, thanks to the fierce hero party and knights, we succeeded in defeating one of the imp leaders,” Permude, the general of the fortress, said in front of the gathered people. “Let us not forget, however, that it was only one among many. There are nearly ten other imp leaders that we've discovered so far.”

Yet, they still had to be happy with the small victory. The knights murmured among themselves.

“But... catching an imp leader for the first time is a huge achievement.”

“That’s right. It must mean the hero’s light has become even stronger!”

The imp leaders were practically symbols of disaster, pillars of fear among the populace. Ordinary mages or knights couldn’t even properly strike them, simply doomed to perish from the curse they inflicted.

“Nonetheless, we still have so far to go,” one of the fighters lamented.

Another responded, “Right? Reports are already coming in from outside saying that mutated monsters are appearing more often. People's anxiety is only getting worse.”

Time was against their side.

“We must kill the imp leaders as soon as possible to prevent the spread of the mutation! Fortunately, thanks to the person the hero brought this time, we found a way to solve the beruul curse, but...”

The Great Saintess slowly raised her hand, declaring, “That will be impossible right now.”

“Impossible?”

“The Sword Saint just returned from investigating their movements. He said the imp leaders are gathering together deep inside the extreme forest.”

Along with her words, a man of the demon race with a thumb-sized horn on his head slowly stood up. “Various other regions similarly reported my findings that the imp leaders are all gathering at a single point.”

He pointed to a section on the map of the vast great forest.

“Is that place...”

“Yes, it’s where the Imp Lord is presumed to be,” the Sword Saint confirmed.

The atmosphere around them grew heavy with the news.

“That means...”

“It means the Imp Lord’s awakening is not far off.”

“We’re running out of time, yet we still don’t have the strength needed to stop the Imp Lord.”

No matter how fatal Aris's power was to the imps, she had her limits.

“If things have reached this point...”

“There’s only one way.”

“We have to form an expedition,” Permude said with a gulp.

The group's objective had to go beyond simple reconnaissance and investigation—they needed to carry out a full-scale subjugation.

“The Imp Lord's territory is too deep within the forest,” the Great Saintess reminded him. “Ordinary people who enter risk exposure to the beruul curse. The only ones who can withstand it are me, the hero's party members, the Sword Saint, and a handful of high-ranking knights.”

Permude nodded bitterly at the Great Saintess’s explanation.

“But if we just wait, only ruin awaits us. Since I can also move now, I will personally join the expedition,” he announced with determination. “And, currently, the one who can relieve the beruul curse...”

“I apologize, but they aren’t immunized by my healing,” Davey reported.

“Not immunized?”

“What I'm saying is that no matter how many times I heal them, they'll just end up infected by the beruul curse again if they come into contact with it.”

Permude sighed at the realization. “All in all, a large-scale expedition seems impossible.”

At that moment, Aris, the leader of the hero party and pillar of hope for humanity, spoke with a determined expression to solemnly declare, “We’ll go.”

“Hero...”

“Only we can infiltrate, deal with the imps, and kill the Imp Lord before they awaken.”

The Sword Saint shook his head. “That’s out of the question! Hero, I understand the special nature of your power, but the forest where the Imp Lord is presumed to be is currently filled with mutated monsters and the nine other imp leaders.”

A party member and many knights had died in their pursuit to kill just one imp leader. Killing nine at once? It sounded absurd.

However, Permude seemed to have a different opinion. He began, “No... there just might be a possibility.”

“What do you mean?”

“I once observed the awakening of a previous imp leader. Countless lower-level imps and mutated monsters gathered beside the leader and became silent during the process, motionless as if dead. It was so much so that they wouldn't move even if someone stabbed them with a sword.”

“That means...”

“Yes, it could mean that the opportunity we’re presented with might be the human alliance’s last chance to subjugate the Imp Lord and the imp leaders. They’ll probably have troops guarding the area, but their fighting strength will most likely be weakened as well,” Permude said with a grim expression. “Still... I can't unilaterally make the decision for everyone, especially you, Hero.”

If he commanded the hero’s party to go, he'd be sending them into that dangerous place based on uncertain information at best.

The Sword Saint cut in to declare, “The Great Saintess and I will personally support your party, Hero. Though we can’t receive your power for enhancement, we are transcendents. We can at least clear the way for you.”

Even if things went wrong, the two were willing to sacrifice themselves to open a path for Aris.

Permude was reluctant to see it. “The two of you... Are you planning to die? Unlike the hero and her party members, we don't know how long you’ll even be able to last in the deeper parts of the forest.”

“I'm sorry, sir, but Aris is still just a child. For old folks like us who've lived long enough to still get scared and back out, all while a child like her is risking her life to protect humanity... I simply cannot allow that.”

The Great Saintess agreed with the Sword Saint, adding, “Fortunately, thanks to Davey, we have finished treating the critical patients. I will follow and assist the others, too.”

Inspired by the atmosphere, Permude began, “Then I, too—”

“General Permude, no,” the Sword Saint immediately declared, shooting him down. “You cannot go.”

Permude was the primary commander for the entire base.

“This place is the last line of defense preventing the imps and mutated monsters from escaping outside. If you leave, and the situation goes wrong...”

“That goes for you two as well!” the general argued back.

The Sword Saint shook his head. “There are four other transcendents in the world besides the two of us.”

In the end, they didn't announce the meeting's outcome right away, but the decision itself remained unchanged. Humanity couldn't afford to miss the golden opportunity they'd miraculously found. The hero’s party would lead the expedition, supported by two transcendents and a few high-ranking knights.

Naturally, Davey was included in that procession as well. Permude and the others tried to tell him it would be too dangerous for him, but he didn't really care for their baseless opinion.

His first priority was to confirm the existence and composition of the core that was causing the mutations. His second was to gather materials for Perserque. The third was to witness the situation firsthand and come up with an answer to his current moral dilemma.

The knights and the soldiers remaining in the fortress hurried to prepare for the expedition. Permude told them, “Prepare everything you possibly can! The better prepared you are, the greater the expedition's chances of survival!”

They’d already practically confirmed that the Imp Lord’s awakening would take a considerable amount of time. Since the awakening’s start was verified just the day before, they were left with about two weeks of wiggle room.

Yet, a casual term like wiggle room didn’t seem to fit the situation. Required to penetrate and eliminate the threat at lightning speed, thereby tackling the risk of their society’s destruction, people were naturally terrified.

Unlike Aris and Girul, who were busy sharpening their weapons and checking their gear, Mary found the time to call out to Davey, “Hey.”

“What’s up?”

“Follow me for a bit.” She flew up listlessly and guided him to a small building. Once there, she told him, “This is my workshop. Are you really planning to go on the expedition dressed like that? Just cloth? You might be immune to the beruul curse, but that doesn’t make you invincible.”

She rustled through the storage closet and took out artifacts so big they nearly towered over her. She laid the artifacts in front of Davey, apologizing, “I’m not like the artisans, so I can’t make armor. Still, I can at least give you some of my custom artifacts to help protect your life.”

She sighed, muttering, “You...”

“Hmm?”

“I’m hoping you won’t die,” she finally said with a sad expression. She then silently picked up a brooch-shaped artifact and fastened it to his chest.

He felt a strange flow of mana emanating from it, and a mana barrier was wrapped around his body.

“Your combat ability isn’t very high, right?”

While Davey had shown his holy power, from Mary’s perspective, he probably didn’t seem like he had a speck of mana in him.

“Honestly, Girul and I can take care of ourselves, but you’re an ordinary person. Or rather, a priest. Everyone knows that priests have weak bodies. That means we need to protect you, but when we can’t, you’ll have to survive on your own.”

She then asked if he was sure he wanted to join.

In lieu of a response, Davey slowly reached out and placed a finger on her small cheek.

“Ah...”

He then assured her, “I’m not going in just to die. Don’t worry, focus on taking care of yourselves.”

Fairies were small and frail, so even a slight shock could startle them. That was why he'd gone with the approach least likely to surprise her. They were techniques he had learned thanks to Perserque, but Mary didn't know that.

He gave another look at the brooch artifact. “This would suit Rinne better than me.”

Hearing her name, Rinne, who had been looking around, zipped over. He took the opportunity to put a hairpin on her head.

“Lord Davey, Rinne reports the movement of unidentified mana from the accessory.”

“It’s a good thing, so keep it on.”

She simply responded, “Order confirmed.”

Shocked by his implication, Mary quickly shouted, “W-wait a minute! Are you planning on taking this kid with you too?!”

Indifferent as ever, the purported kid replied, “Rinne is a very high-performance being, Captain of the Royal Guard responsible for protecting Lord Davey.”

“W-what nonsense are you even saying?”

“Rinne isn’t an ordinary being,” Davey informed her. “She’s immune to the beruul curse, and her combat ability is through the roof, so don’t worry.”

Mary’s expression remained complex and worried. “Don’t talk nonsense! You don’t know how dangerous that place is!! Don’t tell me you’re even planning on taking those two little kids too?!”

“Hey, hey, don’t worry. Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon may look like that, but they’re swords, so they’ll be even safer than you guys, actually.”

Mary couldn't hide her confusion. “Those kids... are... swords? What in the world...”

“You better keep up, there’s all sorts of weird stuff in the world. Anyway, there’s something I wanted to ask you,” he began.

“Something you want to ask?”

“Yeah. Aren’t you afraid?”

Mary gave a bitter laugh at his question. “Who isn’t? Everything in my body is screaming at me to bolt and escape this instant.

Davey sensed there was more. “But?”

“But if we run away, Aris will have to handle this all alone.”

Mary wasn’t dense, entirely capable of recognizing how much pressure Aris was suffering under.

“We may not be related by blood, but she's a precious friend of mine, like family to me. As is everyone else here. If I have to give up my life to save her... I shall.”

“You’re still a child, though. Is she really that important?”

She chuckled at his question. “An imp doesn’t discriminate between adults and children when it bites, does it? It is an easy decision, since Aris is the hope of this continent.”

If she didn't step up and play the heroine, everyone would die. That was her conviction as a hero.

Davey still hadn't made up his mind whether to make a move. He knew that intervening in a world he couldn't watch over and overturning the foundation of its growth wouldn't be a good idea.

Mary checked a few things for him before finishing with a protective spell.

The next day, the Great Saintess and the Sword Saint: both transcendent beings: the entire hero party; and Davey, along with some high-ranking knights, began their expedition deep into the forest.

The inside was severely warped and mutated.

Unlike the party members who were immune, the knights and the transcendent beings made visibly uncomfortable faces as they took in the air.

As Davey silently walked, the Great Saintess quietly told him, “Don’t worry.”

“Pardon?”

She assured him, “We will protect you, even at the cost of our lives.”

So, everyone else should focus on their own tasks.

The Great Saintess had lived a long life. She should've had plenty of reasons to cling to it. Yet she treated her own life as if it meant nothing.

“Don’t treat your lives so lightly,” he solemnly advised.

The Great Saintess wore a puzzled expression, not knowing how to respond.

He added, “You’ll all be returning alive.”

The bubble world had its own path to follow. Yet, while Davey had no intention of recklessly interfering as an outsider, he didn't want to stand by and watch them die for nothing, either.

Perhaps he had become too absorbed in the noble hearts of the people in this world.

‘A world like this is a rare sight.’

Even if it changed some time in the future, their noble convictions deserved to be respected in the present.

“You will surely succeed,” he assured her. “I will help make it happen.”

The Great Saintess took his words as a promise he'd heal them if they became injured.

She simply smiled and accepted them with faith, unaware of the golden ticket she’d just been granted.