CH 182

Ch. 182: The Meeting with the Heroes of Legend

Under the name “La Flowtier,” we continued our activities in Ligaleo.

For now, we went out on Expeditions for two days and then rested for a day. This seemed to work best for us.

I planned to extend the Expedition schedule once the Party toughened up more and got used to the fighting here. Well, it might take a few months, and there’s no point rushing.

The Magecraft Barrier was working effectively, and in Ligaleo, we were actually working harder than the average Adventurer.

If you think about it, the number of Demonic Creatures did not lessen, so I worried if fighting so leisurely would work out…….or I thought so in the beginning, and then realized why.

If you couldn’t get a good night’s sleep and even eat a decent meal and fought under those conditions, compared to those who got plenty of sleep, ate delicious meals, and got to take breaks on top of that, who would be fighting more efficiently?

That’s why I wasn’t surprised to hear that the rate of Demonic Creatures being hunted had significantly improved since the last time I was here.

……..I was glad that we no longer relied on fighting until you couldn’t move, being dragged away before you passed out, rested for a brief moment, and then charged in soon afterwards - those were standard tactics. Well, it was standard for the top class Adventurers.

Regardlessー

That’s why my Party had the day off.

I was nearby Ligaleo’s south gate. …..and right next to Yuu’s Clinic, there was a building nearby, and as I entered, they guided me to a certain meeting room.

“Well now. Has it not been quite some time, Henry?! Wasn’t that when our Order was on holiday in the Capital? We have exchanged a few letters, and I heard the recent report from Eustacia and Sagiri about your fight with the Demon General! I’m relieved to see you looking so well!”

Henry: “Haha……thank you, Sir Ezeal. It has been a while.” The man’s presence was overpowering as usual and feeling a bit intimidated, I politely greeted the giant of a man - the Great Hero of Legend, Gran’ezeal Vandelstein.

This was the Black Dragon Knights Order’s barracks in Ligaleo.

In case Demonic Creatures breached the city walls, they were assigned to this location that was most likely to be attacked. This was the headquarters of Alvenia’s greatest Knights Order.

And as far as I know, they had this place rebuilt at least 10 times.

I owe a great debt to Sir Ezeal, and it would be rude if I did not come say hi after arriving in Ligaleo. And yes, making my presence known, having ties to the Great Hero of Legend could have some perks.

Along with Sir Ezeal, I also bowed my head deeply to the person sitting next to him.

Henry: “Good day, Mr. Riol. I wanted to thank you again for helping us get to Eastflair last time. My Party and I thank you deeply.”

Riol: “Why, you were the one who introduced me to Miss Lana - that amazingly talented being. A thing like that hardly returns the favor.”

Since we were indoors, he had taken off his trademark hat, but he still had on his robes he used for formal wear and for war. He kindly smiled back at me.

And as he spoke to me, he continued to control the Spell with one hand. On top of the meeting room’s table, I saw the coffee beans dance inside a heated sphere.

……this was Mr. Riol’s famous Kroseid Style Coffee Bean Roasting.

Within minutes, we sat around the table with a hot cup of incredibly aromatic coffee.

As he took a sip, Sir Ezeal smiled happily and nodded.

Ezeal: “......ah….so good. Your coffee is amazing as always, Riol! Nothing even comes close!”

Riol: “Ezeal, I appreciate your compliment, but please reduce the amount of sugar you use. The sugar I prepared is sublime for coffee, but with six spoonful's, there’s no way you can still taste the coffee after that.”

Ezeal: “I need my sugar or it will be too bitter otherwise!”

Mr. Riol grunted in dissatisfaction and sipped his coffee which had one small teaspoon of sugar.

……..and it may surprise you to hear that Sir Ezeal has a sweet tooth, and instead of beer or ale, he prefers fruit liquor, and in comparison, Mr. Riol loves his coffee. This was a common argument between the two.

Before Sir Ezeal became a Knight, these two have been together since their Adventurer days, so they got along really well.

And I also heard that they formed a Party with Ms. Lotte at one point.

……..when I went on an Expedition with Yuu and Ageha, I thought I was pretty strong, but I was too full of myself.

I could not think of anything that could beat those 3 teamed up together. Yuu and Ageha are amazing too, but they only became Heroes of Legend for a single talent.

Realizing how far up these two are, I chuckled quietly and sipped my coffee. That’s when I noticed Sir Ezeal staring right at me.

Ezeal: “........ah, Henry. Compared to last time, you are much more composed today.”

Henry: “Huh? RーReally?” Ezeal: “Indeed. Now that you have someone you love, you are much more grounded. To be frank, after we defeated Gilverte, you were incredibly floppy and flimsy.”

……though he was trying to be nice, his words still stung. Being aware of how I was back then, he really hit a sore spot.

Ezeal: “And you chose Lady Cyril. I only got to meet her briefly during your stay at the Capital, but I remember her well. She looked a bit fragile, but she had an ironclad, courageous heart underneath! Henry, you are indeed a lucky man.” Henry: “........I’m not sure about ironclad. I think she’s just incredibly reckless. Recently, she’s had me on my toes.”

Now that I think about it, she didn’t back down even against Sir Ezeal.

I really need to talk to her about that……but before I could say anything, Mr. Riol spoke first.

Riol: “Yes, it is indeed as Ezeal says. When I met her, she immediately announced herself as my rival. That was very bold indeed.”

Henry: “I’m so sorry about that timeー”

Though Mr. Riol didn’t seem to mind, it’s not something a hatchling with barely 3 years of Adventuring experience should say to a Hero.

With Cyril’s talent, she couldーーgiven 10, 20 yearsーーpotentially become something amazing, but that’s then. This is now.

Henry: “You two regard her quite highly, but in all honesty, she really isn’t.”

Ezeal: “Do not speak so ill of your lover. …….hmmm, but now that we’re on the subject, I am very curious. Now then, Henry. You must tell us about you and Lady Cyril.” Riol: “I agree with Ezeal. There is nothing more entertaining for us elderly than to hear about the budding romances of the young. Now, now. Don’t be embarrassed.”

They both smiled teasingly, and two renowned Heroes were teaming up on me.

Ugh…

Henry: “Oh! We can talk about that another time. Can you tell me about what two have been up to? How did the Foreign Campaign go? How far were you able to get?” And I immediately changed the subject.

Though it was a little too obvious, they both realized that I had no intention of touching that subject, and surprisingly, they did not press me any further.

Ezeal: “Hmmm, well, as Henry says, we have more opportunities to come.”

Riol: “Yes, he seems pretty tight. I’ll go collect some stories from Ruby the next time I see her. She’s quite a capable information collector.”

…..and I know already that I’m just postponing the inevitable.

But I’ll let future me handle that and decided to listen to their report.

Ezeal: “Good. And you wanted to know about the Foreign Campaign? This time, we were able to enter your former homeland, the Fezard Kingdom. ……unfortunately, we were unable to reach your hometown which was said to be near the border. I wished that we could have brought back something from your native land.”

Henry: “Please don’t worry about that. I’m sure it’s all completely destroyed with nothing left.”

…….and the reason why I couldn’t come see these two earlier was because they were out on a Foreign Campaign.

Foreign Campaigns. You entered into Demon Kingdom territory, and took out the Demonic Creatures you ran into. By doing so, you lessen the pressure that’s on the 1st line.

With Mr. Riol’s ability to wipe out huge groups and Sir Ezeal’s ability to deal with any situation, these two make an incredible team that effectively tackles these campaigns. When these two go out, they say a third of the Creatures are demolished.

And there’s another goal for sending out Heroes of Legend on these campaigns.

…..surveillance of the Demon Kingdom’s territory.

For that reason, they would actually carry themselves deeper into the Demon Kingdom’s territory than other campaigns.

They crossed the northernmost Kingdom of the Southern Continent, Hekisa, and they managed to reach the neighboring country of Fezard.

Ezeal: “Ergh…..but it’s such a shame. If the Creatures dropped more meat, then we could have gone farther.” Riol: “But that all depends on luck. Do not be discouraged, Ezeal.” But even if they are Heroes of Legend, they are still……….human? ……….yes, I think they still barely qualify as human.

You can produce water with Magecraft but not food. You can try collecting food on the way, but your time in Demon Kingdom territory is very limited because of that.

And that’s why Teo’s godly equipment is so amazing. She can practically negate that condition.

Sir Ezeal does have a pouch like mine. A human craftsman made it with [Space Expansion], but it pales in comparison to godly equipment.

…..and maybe Teo could tag along these two to solve that problem, but she wouldn’t last long. Others with [Space Expansion] godly equipment are the same.

So no matter how amazing Sir Ezeal and Mr. Riol are, it can’t be helped.

Sir Ezeal understands that better than anyone else, but he continued his argument with a, “But.”

Ezeal: “......with the barrier now working just fine, we have flipped our situation. It is regrettable not being able to gain anything from this campaign.”

Riol: “There’s no need to hurry. As you said, the situation is now in our favor. But if we push ourselves now, and something happens to you, we would be in a worse state than before.”

So apparently for Mr. Riol, invading the Demon Kingdom, crossing through at least one Kingdom’s territory is not an unreasonable goal.

Riol: “Besides…” And he suddenly switched gears here and looked at me with curious eyes.

Riol: “We now have ‘useful’ pieces back on the board.”

Ezeal: “Ohhhh, yes, you’re absolutely right.” …..I’m glad they think so.

But right now, we’re barely thinking about joining the 2nd line. The 1st line or foreign campaigns haven’t even crossed our minds.

Riol: “And with the city becoming safer, the younger ones have more opportunity to take the lead. The future is bright, Ezeal.”

Using me as ammo, Sir Ezeal began nodding his head slowly in approval to Mr. Riol’s reasoning.

Ezeal: “....yes, I was burdening too much of this on my own. Compared to Elves, I have already long surpassed my prime days.”

ーーsays the man who is still the strongest living human being on land.

But feeling something rise inside of him, Sir Ezeal stood up with excitement and placed a hand on my shoulder.

Ezeal: “In that case, we must gauge our younger one’s strength! Henry! Let’s head to the 1st line immediately!”

Henry: “WーWait! Sir Ezeal! Did you just return from the campaign last night? Don’t you need to rest?” Ezeal: “A single night of sleep is all I need! I am completely recovered!”

Weren’t you deep in enemy territory for 2 weeks without a moment of respite?!

Riol: “I see. Good luck to you both.” I heard my boots drag against the floor as Sir Ezeal dragged me away.

In answer, Mr. Riol, the source of this mess, happily saw us out.

A while later….

Ezeal: “Hmph!! Today, there’s nothing good on the 1st line! I wonder if 3 or 4 Highest Tiers would show up for us!”

Henry: “If that happens, I’m running, okay?!”

I watched Sir Ezeal cut down the Upper Tier, Upper Class with a single swing of his sword, and rampage across the field. I followed and swung my spear as best as I could next to him.

………really, this man can be so tiring sometimes….