Episode 95: Acolyte Knight Zereah (1)
The relic convoy continued to move south, avoiding pursuit.
“It’s this way. Looking at the footprints, it’s a road where monsters don’t pass.”
“That beast has a habit of calling on its surroundings when attacked. But it also tends to be cautious in battle. Let’s pass quietly.”
The 87-year-old acolyte, Zereah. Although he was a little younger, his skill was still that of a veteran.
Since the attack of the Chimera Synthetic Beasts, he has been avoiding tracking and hiding his scent while avoiding the path that the Chimera cannot easily track.
Thanks to that, I turned around a bit, but no one complained, and I even had time to chat.
“Wow~ Then Sir Zereah, do you know Your Majesty’s younger days?”
Hari’s eyes twinkled, expecting a story about Leon. Perhaps he was lucky, he was the second alter ego of the past, and it was the time when Leon and Orc conquered together.
And Gu Dae-seong, other kingdom knights, and even soldiers were expecting Zereah’s story.
“Huh, the memory of that time was very strong. Your Majesty of that time was the youngest Holy Grail Knight in the history of the kingdom, and the prestige he had built up as an apprentice knight was high.”
A legitimate successor to the Grand Duke of Dragonia, the progenitor who killed the dragon, and an ascetic knight who left for training at the age of 16.
In general, it is common to serve the kingdom as a kingdom knight before walking the path of training, but Leon was the legitimate successor of the grand duke’s family.
Even though he overcame some process, he walked the path of training straight away and showed a step that was not ashamed of the grand duke’s family.
He single-handedly subdued an orc colony that killed the kingdom’s citizens, and intruded into the evil rituals of cultists and cut them to death.
Adventures with Sir Gildus, who later becomes the commander of the Knights of the Kingdom, Sir Antoc, the guardian of the star iron mine, and Treeman Gunlar, who is famous as the sage of the forest.
At the age of only 20, he was chosen by Ariana, the goddess of light and justice, and was given a quest.
“Your Majesty overcame the temptations of the Weeping Woman, the sea monster of Rangqual, and beheaded her. You punished the Wicked Witch through trial. In the end, you defeated the Orc Warlord, who united the three tribes, with one blow, completing the quest.”
27 years old.
The youngest War Knight.
The youngest Holy Grail Knight.
He was now tested on his skills with the Legion, and finally beheaded Gunkar, the warchief who led the nine orc united tribes and protected by the Orc Athlete Helkan.
At the age of 35, he defeated Paravity, the demon grand duke summoned by black magicians from the borders of the empire, and became the 15th Lion Heart King following the death of Lion Heart King.
“He was a dazzling man. He had such great talent, and there will never be anyone with such a great vessel. It was an honor to fight alongside him.”
Zereah smiled benevolently at Hari, who was chosen by the god of the sea and waves and the god of war and flame.
“Sir Han Hari. You should stay by His Majesty’s side and observe and learn from him. There is no human being loved by the gods as much as he is.”
“Yes, yes!”
While escorting the holy relic, Hari was recognized for her talent by Zereah.
Indeed, this much growth at such a young age. It is indeed an amazing talent that Leon and the gods taught him directly.
“…”
However, upon hearing the story, Han Ha-ri and Koo Dae-sung reacted differently.
Ha-ri longed for it and wanted to be like him, and Koo Dae-seong also dreamed of it, but knew it was impossible.
After all, it is the realm of far-off talent that does not apply to oneself.
* * * *
late night It is a vigilant time for the convoy escorting the sacred relic and avoiding enemy pursuit.
Although Zereah built a safety net by using methods such as blocking odor, blocking sound, and blocking presence, the convoy decided to minimize the risk by standing guard.
“Huh…! Whoop!”
Goo Dae-sung’s turn. He passed the boring sentry time swinging his sword at the entrance to the canyon’s hidden cave.
“Whoa…”
Since enlisting in Mansinjeon, he has been training continuously.
just over an hour. Sweat all over the body flows like rain.
“It’s the kingdom swordsmanship.”
At the place where the voice was heard, there was an old knight with a gray beard.
“Are you awake because of me?”
“No, at this age, I lose sleep. I came to help the sentry.”
Zereah did not sit in front of the campfire, but stood in front of him.
“Your posture is a little off. Your arms shouldn’t go below your navel.”
It was the moment Goo Dae-sung was about to raise his sword following the advice. The sword Zereah drew hit the top of the sword like a shot, and the sword staggered.
“The sword is not only a weapon to wield, but also the fastest armor. Always keep it in a position where you can counter it.”
Zereah’s sword dug into the empty seat of the staggered sword. Goo Dae-seong, who had to sacrifice his head in an instant, admired it.
“Don’t touch me.”
Zerea’s sword slashed at the nape of the neck as soon as the words were finished.
– Kak!
“Ugh…!?”
fast. If it hadn’t been for a real hit, I wouldn’t have been able to stop it. Even so, my arms tremble at the tingling shock that is transmitted.
– Kang! Caang!
suspended at the top. Top again from the break. If you hit it with a break, it’s the bottom.
Zereah’s swordsmanship gave fakes mixed with skill in faithful standard.
It was an obvious mechanical movement that was obviously fast and accurate, but it was impossible to counterattack.
“Keugh…!”
My tingling wrists missed the sword. Zereah watched Daesung without bothering to swing his sword any more.
“The basics are good. The reaction is not bad. You trained really well consistently.”
“…it’s nothing.”
Goo Dae-sung was awkward when he praised him. Certainly he is a hard worker. He doesn’t deny that he works hard.
“Still… I don’t think it’s going well. It’s lacking a lot.”
“Hmm?”
“Ms. Han Hari… No, how would you compare Sir Han Hari and me?”
“There’s a big difference. Sir Hari, even for an old man, has a talent that is outstanding and a quality that is loved by the gods.”
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Is that too
The youngest A-class Hunter. A genius who was simultaneously chosen between sea and waves, war and fire.
That dazzling talent will eventually achieve its goal. You will be rewarded for your efforts. He might eventually become a Holy Grail Knight.
Daesung could not hide his resentment despite knowing the gap in his talents, which was obviously out of the question.
At most, he rose from D-class to C-class in 10,000 years. However, above the world that had gone up a notch, there were several distant skies.
“Actually… I knew. There are things that I can’t do even if I try.”
What’s the point of continuing an effort that even you don’t believe in? What does it mean to be praised for working as hard as you are now?
Isn’t it just wasting effort and wasting life?
“You look like me.”
“I mean?”
Goo Dae-seong swallowed the words, “I am like you.” The opponent is a knight. A genius who devoted himself to becoming a Holy Grail Knight and eventually became one.
How could he be like himself?
However, the gaze of the old knight was different.
“I wasn’t really a knight’s lumberjack. My older brother was more talented.”
It is usually the eldest son’s job to succeed the family and become the lord. Unless he is a genius with unapproachable talent, the eldest son has no choice but to prioritize succeeding in the family.
As the second son, he walked the path of wandering to become a knight.
“I heard that the future me has accomplished the task of a goddess? It’s a very strange and surprising thing for me now.”
Zereah was just an ordinary knight. No, he belonged to the lower ranks among the knights of the kingdom.
However, on his endless training path, he sometimes defeated orcs, subdued cultists, and hunted monsters.
There were successes, but more failures, and no one thought he was a worthy candidate for a Holy Grail Knight.
Rather, they mocked him for being stupid and wandering, still walking the path of training even at his old age.
“At that time, I heard a lot of words. My family, my colleagues, even my majesty or the woman of dreams who appeared in my dreams told me to give up.”
It was so obvious, but Zerea considered her luck to be the people around her who gave sincere advice to a person who was wasting her time so stupidly.
“But why… why didn’t you give up?”
“Because a challenge doesn’t require someone else’s evaluation.”
Everyone told Zereah that they had an impossible dream.
It implied that not everyone can become a Holy Grail Knight, and that there is an impossible stage for criminals.
“impossible.”
The 87-year-old Zereah, the acolyte knight, spoke sternly regardless of the task his future self had accomplished.
“There is no reason why it should be excluded from the challenge.”
That was the life attitude of a human named Zereah, and at any time, Zereah has carried through with it.
Because he was such a man, Zereah completed his task and became a Holy Grail Knight.
“…”
Even after hearing about that great journey, Koo Dae-seong could not sympathize with it.
After all, he also had a talent that no one else could touch.
That’s why I was able to challenge, and that’s why I would have been able to succeed.
Zereah understood the sentiment of such greatness. Because this old knight had eyes like that many times.
“Young knight. Young man. Do you know dragons?”
“Courage… you mean?”
“Or maybe bravery.”
“Or it could be love.”
“Or maybe hope.”
Nogu’s attendant said with a smile.
“A knight is someone who handles dragons. It is roaring bravery, unbreakable hope, and pure love.”
“The Holy Grail Knight is the pinnacle of such dragons. It is a symbol of courage.”
“Do you think the Holy Grail Knight has a dragon?”
“Yes, of course…”
Daesung thought while looking at the knights of this kingdom. They are truly brave knights. He is righteous with conviction, and no one is outstanding.
If they don’t have dragon, then who can say they have it?
“No. No one is born with a dragon. It cannot be possessed, it cannot be given, and it cannot be acquired.”
Zereah held her breath for a moment before speaking with a firm gaze.
“Yong(勇) is demonstrated.”
At those words, Daesung felt his heart skip a beat. It’s still hard to understand Zereah’s words. I couldn’t even figure out what the difference was.
But strangely, his words made my heart ache.
“Young knight. When you pray to become one with a dragon, will the gods bestow a dragon on you? Or… will they give you a chance to wield the dragon?”
* * * *
The relic convoy escaped the pursuit and reached the exit of the gorge.
“Sir Zereah! It’s a watchtower!”
The imperial army’s guard post to keep monsters from escaping from the gorge. After passing here, it was straight to the border of the kingdom.
‘Come to think of it, it’s right next to the border of the Empire. Originally, I heard that it was a place where the barbarians were often wiped out in Lionheart.’
Lionheart had no interest in this wasteland. He only sent out periodically to supply serfs and punish cultists.
It seems that the expansion of the territory to this place is due to the Empire’s advance decades ago.
‘uh?’
Daesung checked the system message once again.
[Help Lord Zereah of Twilight escort the holy relic to the Lionheart border.]
-Additional Mission: Defend Sir Zereah’s main unit to the end.
The quest to defend the main unit on the side of Sir Zereah, the Holy Grail Knight, which is a side mission, is probably being cleared by the others who entered together.
The problem is escorting the main quest, the holy relic, to the Lionheart border.
‘Why all the way to the Lionheart border? Isn’t the convoy quest already over at the point of reaching the empire?’
“Stop!”
It was then. A loud voice interrupting Goo Dae-sung’s thoughts. It was a voice heard from the imperial guard post.
“Who are you!”
“We are the relic convoy belonging to the Lionheart Kingdom! The record of the previous passage will remain!”
Stella, the leader of the convoy, soon opened the guard post and a group of imperials approached them.
“Nice to meet you, Knights of Lionheart.”
He was a slender old man. Although not as much as Zereah, the impression was that he would have eaten about seventy. However, the apparent age in this world cannot be quickly determined as it is different from Earth.
He was a man wearing a luxurious cloak and holding a cane. More than anything, what made him sure of his identity was the gorgeous circlet like a crown on his forehead.
And that’s not all. Behind the old man were two more, dressed in similar fancy red and green cloaks. Their status never lags behind the elders before them.
“The Pope, the head of the School of Magic of Light… Sir Wolfhard, the commander of the Imperial Guard… Even the dean of Stadtwood, the observer of the heavens…”
Zereah couldn’t hide his frustration when unexpected big players appeared one after another.
“How are the 13 electors of the empire here?”
Imperial Elector.
The heads of thirteen families each forming an empire. Even the emperors of the empire are elected from these thirteen families.
Some of them are great warriors, some of them are great magicians, they become electors and at the same time receive the treasures of the empire and inherit the power of the founders.
In other words, those three were among the thirteen most powerful men in the Empire.
Among them, an old man called the Pope stared blankly at Zereah and saw through her identity.
“Ah, the Holy Grail Knight, Sir Zereah of Twilight. No, he’s a bit younger. You’re that alter ego.”
It was then. Clouds of dust rose behind the convoy’s backs. The Orcs and the Beast Gods who were thought to have been ostracized… and chimeras.
“Welcome. Welcome to the land of the Empire.”
The Pope opened his arms. I don’t care about the monsters chasing me from the depths of the gorge.
“And goodbye.”
The next moment, the light from the Pope’s fingertips penetrated Zereah’s chest.
