chapter 156

“How long are you going to keep running away?”

There was no one around, but Torkunta grumbled.

Then, despite receiving no response, she grit her teeth.

“Didn’t I tell you? I have no intention of accompanying you on your suicide quest. Understand? You’re the only one that’s gonna die.”

There was silence again before Torkunta’s expression became even more grim.

“You’re so young.”

Torkunta, who seemed so upset she would vomit, suddenly sighed.

“You’re afraid of dying, yet you claim to want to sacrifice yourself. It’s not even for your own satisfaction. Hmph.”

“…”

“Then do it yourself. I’m letting go of the reins. But I should warn you. You didn’t forget your promise, did you?”

Torkunta bit her lips before saying one more thing.

“Stupid bitch.”

* * *

Hot winds blew across the desert.

Frey narrowed his eyes as he looked ahead. The half-hidden sun was tinting the golden earth scarlet.

It was an incredibly beautiful sight, but unfortunately, he didn’t have the time to admire it.

Cairo looked at Frey and said.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could help you, but…”

“No.”

Frey shook his head.

It was already enough for him to warp them there.

The only reason he’d asked Cairo for help in the first place was because he didn’t know Silkid’s coordinates.

Paragon was still busy with its own business.

Cairo nodded.

“There is a warrior from Paragon in Rnei. He and Nora are acquainted, and he should be able to tell you about the situation in Silkid.”

Cairo left with those words.

Frey then turned around to look at the ones who’d gone to Silkid with him.

Snow, Nora, and Beniang.

Anastasia didn’t come.

Frey remembered what she’d said before they parted.

“I need time.”

“What do you mean by time?”

“Time to get used to this body. I don’t think I can use it to fight the way I used to.”

Frey nodded.

Although the Golem’s body could control mana, it was a body that was more suited for a Magic Warrior than a Wizard.

So like it or not, she would have to learn to fight with her body from now on instead of with magic. Because it was more efficient.

To do that, she would need to get rid of all the stereotypical combat methods and habits that she’d developed as a Wizard.

“You want to train here?”

“I think it’s a good place.”

“That’s true, but how will you get to Silkid?”

He didn’t think Anastasia’s body could use Warp.

Anastasia laughed.

“There’s a way.”

She tapped on her earrings that hadn’t been there when they first came to the mountains.

“That’s?”

“I brought it out of the dungeon. And this is for you.”

Then she handed him a ring.

“Keep it on. It’ll tell me where you are.”

Both were magic items.

Frey nodded and put the ring on.

“Understood.”

“As soon as I get used to my body, I’ll head over.”

“Keeping my word is one of my ironclad rules.”

Anastasia nodded.

Thus, Anastasia’s arrival would be a bit delayed.

“The entire desert is covered in divine power. Even when seeing it for myself, I find it hard to believe. I can’t believe the Demigods are revealing themselves like this.”

Nora spoke in a calm voice, and Frey agreed with her.

Divine power indeed covered the entire desert. It was like a beast deliberately marking its territory with its scent.

‘Considering the size of Silkid, it couldn’t be just one.’

This meant that they wouldn’t be able to tell how many Demigods were staying in the desert.

Naturally, this meant that they had to move as stealthily as possible.

Frey took out a map from his bag and looked at it.

“Rnei. It’s close. We’ll go there to obtain information first.”

Cairo must have brought them this close on purpose. Frey was once again grateful for his consideration.

Then Snow spoke.

“Wasn’t it said that creatures swept all the cities in the country? I don’t think he would still be there.”

“Hmm.”

That made sense.

“I’ll still check it out first.”

He then flew up into the sky using Fly. When he got high enough, he was able to see the blurry image of Rnei.

From what he could see, the buildings were not destroyed, so from the outside, it still looked fine.

‘I don’t know if a Demigod is there or not.’

With all the divine power scattered across the desert, it was impossible for him to determine a specific source.

‘It’s a good thing that they can’t find us easily either.’

Frey then pointed to Rnei and said.

“Let’s walk. It’ll take a couple of hours to get there.”

Using Warp would be too conspicuous.

“I’m so glad it’s not midday~ It’s less hot.”

Snow spoke in a relaxed tone as the party headed to Rnei with a rapid pace.

Frey looked at the desolate desert before turning to Nora.

“Who exactly is the Paragon member in Rnei?”

“A warrior.”

Nora thought that answer was not enough, so she continued.

“He was once a Great Warrior who was spoken about in history.”

“Great Warrior?”

“It is one of the highest honours one can receive in Silkid.”

It was Snow who answered.

Frey then turned to her and said suspiciously.

“You know quite a lot about a country that’s on the opposite side of the continent.”

Just as he’d said, Silkid and the Great Forest were indeed on opposite sides of the continent.

Snow put on a triumphant expression at his words.

“Hoohoo! It was this queen’s dream to travel around the continent and challenge the strong! The strongest fighters in every region on the continent.”

After saying that, she tilted her head.

“Mm. But in the last ten years, there hasn’t been a Great Warrior in Silkid.”

“It is a title that can only be given to one person. But lately, many outstanding warriors have appeared. Guarus the Berserker, Heildek the Grappler, Twin Blade Urha… if the Demigods hadn’t destroyed Talhadun, there definitely would have been the most spectacular martial arts competition in history.”

“Hmmm.”

“Urha is the Paragon member. He’s a swordsman who uses the Fire and Ice Swords.”

Twin Blades.

In the past, Frey had once asked Lucid, who had countless legendary swords, why he insisted on using just one sword.

Then Lucid gave him one simple response.

[It’s not efficient.]

There was nothing wrong with wearing many magical items. Of course, Frey avoided using them to avoid being dependent on them.

But it didn’t seem to be the same for swords.

Now that he thought about it, Riki also used just one sword.

Although he hid many small daggers in his pockets, when fighting, he only drew one sword.

[Then why are you collecting so many swords?]

Lucid’s answer to this question was spectacular.

[It’s my hobby. Please respect it.]

[…]

Twin Blade Urha.

He should at least have had some skill since he was able to become a member of Paragon. But Frey wondered just how strong he was.

It was at that time that he noticed Beniang moving forward with an exceptionally stiff expression on her face.

“Master Beniang, you don’t have to be so tense. We’re not going to fight any Demigods yet.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you.”

Beniang smiled shyly and bowed her head.

Her Dragontongue would be a great help in battle against the Demigods.

Then Frey saw Snow turn to look at him.

“What is it?”

“It’s unfair.”

“What is?”

“Why do you only use honorifics with that woman?”

“She’s my superior.”

“…you used to use honorifics with this queen too.”

“That was when you were still a queen.”

“Mm…”

Snow pouted, clearly not convinced.

Then Nora asked.

“What about Hector?”

“There’s nothing to compare. He’s a Dragon. That alone makes him deserving of respect.”

“…”

What a strange man.

Nora and Snow had this thought at the same time. All of them had lived for a sizable amount of time, yet they still got an archaic feeling from this young man who wasn’t even thirty.

Could this be called a generation gap?

Strangely enough, it was the girls who had the trendier way of thinking.

After all, it had been hundreds of years since the Dragons disappeared from the continent. Only stories of them could be heard from time to time, and even then, most of the stories were about them losing to the Demigods.

Nevertheless, Frey was extremely polite to Hector.

This was something that was extremely strange when considering that he spoke informally to Cairo, Diablo, and the other Circle Masters.

It was almost as if he had seen the time period when Dragons ruled the continent in the past.

Him using honorifics to Beniang might not necessarily have been because she was his superior. It might just have been because she was Half-Dragon.

‘What kind of relationship does Frey have with the Dragons?’

They wanted to ask, but they didn’t think they would get an answer.

Just as Snow clicked her tongue, they arrived at Rnei.

* * *

“Silkid is finished.”

There wasn’t anyone who didn’t know that fact.

But the power those words contained depended on who was saying them.

Take the man in front of him for example.

Sarman, the Warchief and guardian of Rnei, was not someone who should say such words.

Urha frowned, opening his mouth before reluctantly closing it again.

He was angry, but he couldn’t argue.

Sarman continued in a deep voice.

“Of 17 cities, 7 have already fallen and 4 have surrendered. There are only 6 cities left including Rnei.”

“Are you going to surrender?”

Sarman shook his head at Urha’s words.

“I just got a report. What happened to the 7 cities… saying their fall is not appropriate.”

“…”

“Entire cities vanished. They’re gone. All that was left were ashes that were blown by the desert winds. That’s when I realised. We cannot expect any mercy from these monsters.”

To die or to surrender: those were the only two options.

“So you, a Warchief, plan to surrender.”

Urha understood Sarman’s feelings, but that didn’t stop him from speaking in a sharp tone.

“Do you know the will of a warrior?”

“…it is to fight.”

“So you do know.”

Then Sarman continued with an empty voice.

“Against the Demigods, we cannot fight.”

They had no chance of winning.

Sarman bit his lip.

The bitter taste of blood spread on his tongue, but the strength of his bite didn’t diminish at all.

How could he not be angry? His family, friends, and people had died. They were still dying even now.

But they couldn’t talk to the Demigods. There was no negotiation.

They asked for one thing – surrender. Those who disobeyed would die.

They would die regardless of sex or age.

Even the term tyrannical could not express their attitudes. Their actions weren’t things that mortals could understand.

Even a fly wouldn’t do so vainly.

“Have you heard the rumors of the Great Warrior?”

“…I have.”

There was a warrior wandering around Silkid, gathering the other warriors together. It was said that his name was Ivan.

Given that this was the first time many were hearing his name, it was certain that he wasn’t someone who was famous before.

“I heard that he’s the Magic Warrior King’s Successor.”

“…even if Kasajin himself returned, he would not be able to change this situation.”

Sarman spoke cooly.

Then he added in a dejected tone.

“The number of warriors is still lacking. What we lack at the moment is troops.”

They couldn’t fight the Demigods with warriors alone. Urha fell silent because he also knew that.

Then someone came into the tent.

“Urha, you have guests.”

“Guests?”

“They say they’re from Paragon.”

“…!”

He got up in a hurry.

Unexpected reinforcements had arrived.

‘Is it Diablo? No, even Cairo!’

9 star Wizards!

Any one of them would be able to convince Sarman.

Urha hurried out.

The first person he saw was Nora. Because she was in front.

Seeing him, Nora lifted her head and spoke in her signature, calm voice.

“It’s been a while, Urha.”

“Ms. Nora, how have you been?”

Urha returned the greeting out of courtesy while looking around.

‘Ah…’

Neither Cairo nor Diablo were there.

The only ones standing beside Nora were a woman with a mask, a timid looking green-haired girl, and a young man with an expressionless face.

He didn’t know any of them. This also meant that they weren’t helpers from Paragon.

Urha couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment.