CH 143

EPISODE 143 – CHIMERA (1)

Archwizard Arkeman.

He was a character who had lived hundreds of years ago but only existed as a background setting in Legend of Heroes 2, and was a person whose name frequently showed up when one played the main story.

‘A genius creator of magic tools.’

He was a great wizard and an excellent blacksmith at the same time, and one of the top three artifact craftsmen in history.

So the more one proceeded to the second half of the game, the more they would see his name because the player would be equipping high-ranking equipment at that time.

‘It was called the Arkeman series.’

<<This Arkeman’s Sword was a masterpiece he made in his youth>> or <<This Arkeman’s Ring was the best item he made in the middle of his life when his skill was at its peak>> – such were the descriptions of the items he made.

Usually, the items he made in his youth were just plain (?) A-rank ones, but those he made in his middle and old age were at least S-rank items that guaranteed a really terrifying average performance, so it became an unwritten rule in Legend of Heroes to obtain one of the Arkeman series when it became available for the player.

‘Of course, that was the standard for ordinary players.’

It wasn’t such an attractive series for rotten waters.

Because there were many more powerful items than that series.

‘But even so.’

Items that were at least S-rank were not something weak.

For the current Jude and Cordelia, the Arkeman series were dream items.

‘Add to that are the ranks of the Arkeman series.’

The items were not at most S-rank items. They were at least S-rank items.

Even some rotten waters drooled and struggled to possess items from the Arkeman series.

‘They were called Arkeman’s 7 Treasures.’

Jude raised his head as he snapped out of his thoughts.

He continued his words to Princess Darianne who had sparkling eyes and to Sir Cornwell who was showing interest one way or another even though he had a slightly displeased look.

“Princess Darianne.”

“Yes, Jude-orabeoni.”

“Did you know that we met the Fairy Queen?”

“Yes, I heard of that story too. But is it true? Did you really participate in the fairies’ banquet?”

Princess Darianne’s eyes were filled with a light of excitement.

It was uncommon to meet fairies in reality.

First of all, there weren’t that many fairies, and most of them lived in hiding deep in the mountains.

Moreover, their preference for beautiful things or people was a problem.

Because even if someone found their habitat, they wouldn’t meet anyone who didn’t had a certain level of beauty.

“Orabeoni, orabeoni. Then is it true? That the fairies first showed up because of Cordelia’s beauty.”

“Of course, it’s true. Everyone went crazy and said that she was as pretty as a goddess.”

“Wow…”

Princess Darianne’s gaze naturally turned to Cordelia, and so did Sir Cornwell and the other knights.

“Ah… Uh…”

As for Cordelia.

Her face was red as ever, and she didn’t know what to do so she bowed her head.

No, she reached under the table and slapped Jude’s thigh.

‘Do something! No! Hurry up and change the topic! Change it!’

She couldn’t even exchange glances with him because she had bowed her head, but her thought was clearly conveyed because of her desperation.

And Jude thought.

‘Shouldn’t you be used to it by now?’

But being embarrassed like this every time was part of Cordelia’s charm.

‘Hurry up!’

She slapped it again.

Jude nodded his head and changed the topic for Cordelia.

“Anyway, Your Highness, Cordelia and I met not only the fairies but also the Fairy Queen, who is the queen of the fairies. But are you aware of it? The fact that the Fairy Queen is not just one?”

“Yes, I heard it from Daphne-unnie. Fairies also have dominions, so there are many queens.”

“Yes, it is as you said. The Fairy Queen is not one but many. And Cordelia and I met another Fairy Queen across the border…in the wild lands.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it’s true.”

“How? Did the fairies come to meet you first again?”

Jude nodded his head when asked by Princess Darianne who was so excited.

“That’s right. The fairies fell in love with Cordelia’s beauty again…”

Slap! Slap!

Cordelia hurriedly slapped Jude’s thigh, but she was too late.

Princess Darianne, Sir Cornwell, the knights, and Hans at the counter looked at Cordelia in unison.

‘Juuuude!’

The voice of her thoughts were heard once again.

Jude pretended not to know her thoughts and quickly spoke again.

“The Fairy Queen who lives in the wild lands is very beautiful, wise, and friendly.”

Wild Fairy Queen Eonelle.

Among the Fairy Queens whom they had met so far, she was the easiest to dupe – no, the most benevolent and kind woman.

At Jude’s sincere words, Princess Darianne suddenly closed her eyes. She was probably imagining the Fairy Queen in her mind.

Jude had a small smile at the childlike appearance of Princess Darianne, and he continued to talk.

“I heard from the Fairy Queen about Arkeman’s Dungeon. It was a story we heard when she met Arkeman a long time ago.”

“Wow… Then the dungeon that Fairy Queen said is…”

“Yes, it’s a hidden dungeon here. I heard from the Fairy Queen about the Seven-Colored Herb and that a fearsome and powerful chimera guarded the Seven-Colored Herb.”

It was obviously a lie.

The Fairy Queen never said anything like that.

But what mattered was that it was a plausible story.

An archwizard and a Fairy Queen.

Two beings that somehow fit together.

‘It’s impossible for them to confirm.’

It wasn’t possible for them to meet the Fairy Queen here or the Fairy Queen in the wild lands.

And in fact, verifying it was already unnecessary.

Because Jude had created an atmosphere where everyone believed in his words.

Even the doubtful Sir Cornwell was interested in something else rather than the truthfulness of Jude’s story.

“Did you say chimera?”

The dungeon boss who protected the Seven-Colored Herb.

‘Although it’s not the Seven-Colored Herb that it is guarding.’

The Seven-Colored Herb was just a wild grass that grew in the dungeon, but it was true anyway that the Seven-Colored Herb was in the room the chimera was guarding.

So if he slightly changed the story, it could be said that the chimera was also guarding the Seven-Colored Herb.

‘Hey, Mr. Jude. Isn’t this called a scam?’

Rather than flinching at Cordelia’s gaze, Jude shrugged and made a serious look as he then answered Sir Cornwell’s question.

“Yes, I heard that it was a very powerful chimera. It’s almost like a dragon when inside the dungeon because it is supported by the numerous magic circles that Arkeman had set up.”

“D-dragon?!”

A surprised voice came among the knights.

It was Hunt, but no one including Sir Cornwell, reprimanded him.

Because everyone was equally surprised.

“But Jude-orabeoni. Is there any other way? Otherwise, orabeoni and unnie wouldn’t have come here.”

When Princess Darianne asked with her sparkling eyes as if she found it interesting, the knights including Sir Cornwell were also interested.

Because what she said was true.

If there was no secret to dealing with the chimera which is comparable to a dragon, it would have been useless to come here.

Princess Darianne stared at Jude with a smile that slightly challenged him, and Jude nodded his head.

“Yes, wise princess. It is as the princess said. There is a secret to dealing with the chimera.”

“What is it? Please tell us.”

Princess Darianne urged him to talk, and Jude immediately came up with the answer instead of dragging it on.

“Arkeman’s chimera comes out of the dungeon twice a month to absorb the power of the sun. It’s not for a long time, but the dungeon will clearly be empty at that time.”

“We’ll aim for that gap then?”

“Yes, but the problem is that the gap is not very long. So when the chimera comes out of the dungeon, that is, at a place where it can no longer receive the dungeon’s support, someone has to defeat it or draw its attention.”

At Jude’s explanation, Princess Darianne clapped her hands in admiration, but Sir Cornwell’s expression did not brighten.

Because it was a synthetic beast in the first place, the strength of each chimera varied per individual, but all of them possessed a minimum level of strength.

Moreover, its basic form was likely to be quite strong, as it was said to be a chimera that became like a dragon when it received the magical support of the dungeon.

And Jude was pleased with Sir Cornwell’s response.

Because it was the response he had expected.

‘Bingo.’

We’re almost done now.

Jude held Cordelia’s hand and said with a serious face.

“Princess Darianne, Cordelia and I will buy time for you.”

“Orabeoni and unnie?”

As worry and fear spread over Darianne’s face, Cordelia quickly smiled and said.

“It’s alright, Princess. We have prepared ourselves to fight the chimera in the first place. Also, if the Princess and her knights can help us… we just have to buy time and not defeat it.”

It was said that experience was the best teacher.

Having witnessed Jude’s numerous scams because she was always with him, Cordelia said exactly what was needed even though no one instructed her on what to say.

“But…”

“It’s okay. It’s a bit embarrassing, but we’re pretty strong, okay?”

Cordelia said with a big smile, but Princess Darianne’s face remained gloomy.

Because Jude and Cordelia didn’t honestly look to be that strong.

‘Although I think Jude-orabeoni is a little strong.’

She thought that he was quite tall and that his body was firm.

But Cordelia’s body was thin and looked delicate, so she thought that Cordelia wasn’t that strong.

But it was at that moment.

“It will be fine.”

“Sir Cornwell?”

“The Bayer and Chase families are among the 12 northern families who are particularly powerful. If that is true…they must be very competent then.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, and Lady Cordelia is a wizard. Wizards are people whose strength cannot be assessed by their appearance alone.”

“Ah…that’s right. It is as Sir Cornwell said.”

Princess Darianne answered with a nod, as something came into her mind at Sir Cornwell’s words.

Sir Cornwell smiled and continued.

“Moreover, Adelia Chase, Cordelia’s real sister, is one of the seven commanders of the Royal Guard Magic Corps. She is also young and beautiful, but she is one of the best in the Royal Guard Magic Corps.”

So let’s trust them.

Let’s leave the chimera to Jude and Cordelia.

At the unexpectedly high evaluation, Cordelia looked at Sir Cornwell with amazement, but Jude bitterly smiled.

The reason Sir Cornwell was doing that was obvious.

‘Because they don’t want to fight the chimera.’

Unlike the other knights who were captivated by Cordelia’s beauty, Sir Cornwell might have like her beauty, but it wasn’t to the point that it clouded his judgment.

Therefore, he was able to calmly choose the best option for himself, the knights, and for Princess Darianne.

‘They’ll pass the chimera to the two of us and enter the dungeon that has become empty.’

This was the best way to preserve the power of the knights and secure the safety of Princess Darianne.

Jude was not particularly resentful of Sir Cornwell.

He was rather impressed by Sir Cornwell’s rationality and capability.

“The chimera will come out of the dungeon within two days from now. So for the rest of the time, I’d like us to exchange information with each other.”

Sir Cornwell gently nodded his head at Jude’s words, and Princess Darianne stared at Cordelia with a worried look, but did not say anything.

“Then let’s talk about it in detail.”

Their light chat quickly became a meeting, and Jude who was suspected earlier had now become the leader of the meeting.

It was something that naturally happened.

After he received Cordelia’s admiring gaze, Jude opened his mouth again and began to talk.

***

That night.

Jude came back to his room after dinner as he stretched his body and walked towards the bed. But Cordelia stood by the door, looked at his back, and spoke to him.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“You’re doing this on purpose, right?”

“What?”

As Jude made an innocent look and pretended to not know, Cordelia growled as she frowned.

“I’m angry, okay? I mean, I won’t be cleaning your ears anymore, okay?”

Jude flinched at her cute threat, but he said with a sly smile.

“No, rather than on purpose…what I said is true though? Cordelia is the best in the north…no, it’s true that you’re the most beautiful girl in the Sälen Kingdom, right? It’s true that you’re like an angel because you’re a real angel. Yes, yes, it’s true.”

A shameless smile and shameless remarks.

Cordelia blushed like always in response to Jude’s usual answer, but she was not as helpless like the time when they were on the ground floor.

There were only the two of them here now.

“Hey! Then you’re the most handsome boy in the Sälen Kingdom…no, you’re a young man now! Th-that… you’re more beautiful than flowers!”

You should be embarrassed too!

Cordelia smiled with her canines glistening as she happily counterattacked, but Jude only found it funny.

“You’re right.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, I am a young man. Kyaa~ Just as I thought, being handsome is the best. It’s thrilling. It’s always fresh. I love it so much.”

Cordelia was momentarily shocked by his shameless words that her face didn’t turn red, but she soon grinded her teeth, ran to Jude, and began hitting his back.

“Hey! Hey! What are you doing!”

“I hate you! I really hate you!”

“Princess?”

“I won’t give you a lap pillow again, okay?”

“I will behave. You can hit me.”

When Jude showed his back while looking at her in reverence, Cordelia sighed and sat down on the bed.

Because she was somewhat depressed.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Madam.”

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

Jude asked as he sat down next to Cordelia, and she fiddled with her hair with her fingers before speaking.

“The reason that you said that our goal was the medicinal herb…is there more to that?”

The Seven-Colored Herb was not what the two were aiming for, but one of the 7 treasures hidden in Arkeman’s Dungeon.

But Jude told Princess Darianne that their goal was the Seven-Colored Herb.

“At first, I thought that you were afraid that the treasure would be stolen by the princess’ group, right? But there seems to be another reason besides that.”

Another reason.

She didn’t have any specific basis for it. But she felt that to be the case, and Cordelia trusted her senses.

“Cordelia.”

A genius who arrived at the result without going through the process.

Jude admired it before he smiled and beckoned to Cordelia. It was a signal for her to come closer as he wanted to whisper to her.

“You’re always whispering.”

There was no one else in the room who would listen to them anyway.

But Cordelia gently brought her face closer to Jude, and he whispered in a small voice into Cordelia’s ear.

Another reason why Jude said that their goal was the Seven-Colored Herb.

“Wow, you’re a real scammer.”

“But you like it, right?”

“Yes, Daddy. I like it so much.”

After all, he is my Jude.

Satisfied with Cordelia’s bright smile, Jude shrugged as if boasting, and Cordelia smiled again.

And two days later.

Jude, Cordelia, Princess Darianne, and her companions began their hike.