Chapter 190

Chapter 190
## Chapter 190

Settler (1)

“I appreciate you allowing me to recuperate so pleasantly in such a splendid residence, Princess. I am deeply grateful to you.”

“Please, think nothing of it. You saved my life. My only regret is that my assistance could not be more grand.”

By the primary entrance of the royal estate, Riley stood offering her parting wishes to the departing group of champions, specifically conversing with Heinrich. While the holy figure requested that no massive celebration take place, the princess insisted on making an appearance herself to represent the crown, given her personal sense of gratitude toward him. She approached each member of the company one by one, offering her blessings, beginning with Heinrich. Following a brief moment where she clasped Isea’s hand to convey her sorrow over their departure—having already spoken extensively the previous evening—she moved along.

“Alas— Heron, my deepest anxieties lie with you.”

Stopping before Hesperon, a heavy sigh escaped her lips.

“Haha! Whatever do you mean, Your Highness? You would be hard-pressed to discover an individual as dependable as myself! Why, even Master was astounded by my inherent capabilities and showered me with accolades just yesterday! Everything will proceed smoothly, so please ease your mind!”

He extended his torso proudly, letting out a carefree chuckle, completely unbothered by the fact that Isea was muttering complaints beside him about how inaccurate his statement was. He maintained a semblance of decorum because the royal guards were observing, yet his demeanor remained incredibly familiar, akin to speaking with a lifelong companion. A few of the attending guards wrinkled their brows in disapproval at the display.

“…Well, your capabilities are certainly unique, so I am confident you will manage. Regardless, your stay with them is brief.”

Riley merely gave a slow nod, letting his casual attitude slide without comment.

“However—”

She was not quite finished lecturing him.

“That inflated pride of yours requires tempering. You seem to misunderstand your own standing; you remain a mere novice sorcerer. In comparison to the rest of them, you are quite fragile. Yet you choose to accompany them into a conflict that demands their absolute utmost, fueled by nothing but an unearned sense of security…”

The bravado he displayed to comfort her had completely backfired, initiating a prolonged scolding. Hesperon instantly deflated, his previous boldness vanishing entirely as he was forced to endure her lecture.

“There is no expectation for you to achieve anything grand. Your presence is merely an additional responsibility. At your best, you will contribute nothing, and at your worst, you will get in the way. Therefore, simply remain on the sidelines and absorb whatever knowledge you can… Heron? Are you even paying attention to me?”

“Ah, yes! Absolutely. I hear you, Your Highness.”

He blurted out a reply rapidly, his gaze fixed blankly upon her face.

‘Isn’t this phrasing a bit severe…?’

Even so, he refrained from speaking up, knowing that defending himself would only extend the reprimand. Spotting the genuine apprehension swirling in her eyes as she continued to lecture him without pause, he recognized the underlying affection prompting her words.

Eventually, Riley stepped away, seemingly appeased after spending far longer chiding him than she had spent speaking to the rest of the group combined. She left Hesperon standing there with an utterly bewildered look on his face.

“…With that, we shall depart. Until we meet again.”

“Farewell, Saint. May your journey be devoid of peril.”

The farewell ceremony, which had extended well past its anticipated timeframe, concluded at last. The companions boarded the provided transport and directed their course toward the Jeron Cathedral situated on the edge of the urban center to access the portal. Unless absolutely necessary, it was unwise to exhaust Isea’s energy when they could easily utilize the established transit systems of the Holy Church.

‘Transporting ourselves with an extra companion would only complicate matters.’

Just as Princess Riley had feared, Hesperon had committed to traveling alongside the champion’s circle for the immediate future. To specify the timeframe, it was meant to last roughly ten days.

‘The arrangement stipulates his presence among us until just prior to the gathering of the leaders.’

The primary objective was to allow him to study the mystic arts under the direct tutelage of Isea, the supreme Archmage. To be fair, his foundational comprehension of the craft was already flawless. He possessed the innate talent designated as “Introduction to Magic,” and given the residual imprint of the Immortal King, navigating the baseline mechanics of this world’s spellcraft was no obstacle, despite the variance in their underlying systems. Furthermore, with Riley’s ascension to the leadership of the realm being a certainty in the near future, she possessed the power to grant him access to an academic pathway that eclipsed even the prestigious training Isea had received.

‘Yet even with those resources, nothing compares to the practical insights gained from Isea herself. His progression will be far more rapid under her guidance.’

It was a logical synergy, considering that Hesperon and she shared an identical classification regarding their potential. They were individuals widely recognized as ‘prodigies.’

‘Granted, his circumstances differ from Isea, who was blessed with talent from birth… Nonetheless, the ultimate outcome mirrors her own, does it not?’

He was backed by an array of developmental accelerants, exceptional physical attributes forged by an immense distribution of Karma, and the subtle assistance provided by Hans through attributes like “Path of Magic” and “Wicked Wisdom.” This combination formed the reality of Hesperon, a engineered marvel of mystical capability.

‘A standard academic progression is simply a waste of potential for an individual like me.’

If Isea, acting as his mentor, could impart the absolute core principles while omitting the superfluous hurdles she encountered during her own education, his learning curve would flatten drastically. He would simultaneously inherit the refined expertise of an elite Archmage.

‘An excellent arrangement. Naturally, mastering the craft within a span of ten days is an impossibility, but their interactions will persist even after he returns to the royal estate. There is no cause for impatience.’

With a sharp metallic rattle, the transport navigated the urban pathways of the capital before ultimately coming to a halt at the gates of the Jeron Cathedral. The group was immediately escorted toward the portal chamber the moment they disembarked from the opulent royal transport.

There existed a secondary motive behind Hesperon’s decision to accompany the party on this venture.

“High Priest, please align the destination to the Glatan territory located within the boundaries of the Lesque Kingdom.”

“As you command, Saint. If everyone could kindly step forward, I shall initiate the portal’s function.”

By sheer happenstance, the upcoming objective designated for the circle under Saint Heinrich’s leadership lay within the borders of the Lesque Kingdom. That specific domain happened to be the ancestral home of the grand lancer, Geos Calkin, and the exact region where the individual claiming to be a traveler from another realm had chosen to live a life of isolation.

—

The cosmic wager struck between Saint ‘Heinrich Saint Landguard’ and the dark monarch ‘Hannibal Strauss’ occurred at the conclusion of the grand conflict within Jeron, the heart of the empire. The fundamental nature of this contest involved an offensive campaign by the Immortal King’s legions against unpredictable targets, balanced by the champion’s obligation to safeguard those locations without any prior intelligence. It was a classic demonstration of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object.

The parameters of the contest were skewed drastically in favor of the Immortal King; nonetheless, the bargain remained acceptable to the champion, as it offered a method to significantly curb the loss of innocent lives. Granted, the populace currently enduring the rampages of corrupted beasts would likely view the matter differently.

‘Naturally, this strategy hinges entirely on our capacity to anticipate the strikes before they land.’

Without that critical foresight, they would merely find themselves reacting helplessly to sudden devastation. Furthermore, an offensive action was not restricted to massive aerial bombardments.

“…I have pinpointed their locations.”

Deep within Glatan City, the administrative hub of Viscount Glatan’s holdings in the Lesque Kingdom, Isea stood silently within a secluded passage away from the bustling main thoroughfare. With her eyelids fluttering open, she delivered her findings in a hushed tone.

“Where are they situated?”

“I shall transmit the map directly to your consciousness.”

The moment her words faded, precise spatial markers manifested within their perceptions as their minds linked together.

“…Three distinct locations?”

“That is the extent of what I can discern. One appears centered around the structural timepiece in the public plaza, though verifying the remaining two will require physical investigation.”

The strategy employed for this particular offensive involved decentralized acts of sabotage, triggered by activating intricate arrays via mystical artifacts that had been covertly transported into the urban center. This precise stratagem had been deployed on multiple occasions previously, with the specific manifestation altering according to the preferences of the perpetrators. The threats scaled from conventional concussive blasts meant to level infrastructure, to malevolent blights designed to afflict the populace with lethal sickness, and even massive offering circles intended to harvest the lifeforce of every resident nearby. The variations were consistently malicious.

“However, because the arrays remain dormant for the moment, discerning the exact nature of the magic is impossible. I have simply flagged the sectors displaying highly erratic distributions of raw mana.”

“Excellent. Let us ensure they remain dormant.”

“Haha! Why delay our approach? We ought to shatter their plans before the arrays can even draw breath! With three targets identified, the three of us can split up to handle them simultaneously! You remain at this position to manage any sudden complications, young lady!”

“………”

Geos, standing silently alongside his companions, tightened his fingers around the shaft of his weapon upon hearing Harley’s proposal. A visible tremor ran through him, his gaze burning with a fierce animosity as he prepared to confront the agents of the Immortal King—the true source of his hatred.

“Hold your advance for a brief moment. We must verify the situation with local authorities first.”

Heinrich intervened, shaking his head in disapproval. It was highly inappropriate to instigate a chaotic conflict within an alien jurisdiction without offering prior notice, barring an immediate catastrophe. He shifted his attention to the official who was frantically dabbing away streams of perspiration from his brow with a cloth. This individual was a martial representative dispatched by the local government upon receiving their initial warning, tasked with overseeing the municipality’s defensive forces.

“…The sectors you have indicated do not align with any governance property. They comprise entirely civilian zones…”

The military officer, having received the mental coordinates provided by Isea, pulled a document from his garments to verify the sectors before letting out a profound sigh and closing his eyes in distress. Although the champion party’s timely arrival allowed them to identify the looming threat ahead of time, the current revelation offered little comfort to his career. Even if the crisis concluded without a single drop of blood spilled, the reality remained that their structural security had failed, and he would ultimately answer for that negligence.

‘Sigh— At the very least, we discovered it now. Had the strike occurred unannounced, the fallout would be unthinkable.’

Depending on the scale of the destruction, the consequences would have reached far beyond a mere demotion. Fortune had smiled upon them on this occasion.

“Ah! I shall mobilize our local defensive units to reinforce your efforts. Maximizing our numbers will ensure a swift containment.”

“On the contrary, deploying a massive military force will alert the infiltrators to our awareness. There is no telling what desperate measures they might employ if backed into a corner.”

“In that case… what do you propose?”

Heinrich offered a reassuring, gentle expression to the visibly anxious officer, speaking in a measured, firm cadence.

“It is wisest to implement precautionary measures. Would it be possible for your office to station a compact group of highly trained operatives around the designated zones, while the remainder of your personnel prepare to orchestrate a systematic relocation of nearby civilians should the situation deteriorate?”

“Ah! That can certainly be arranged. However… what precisely do you mean by ‘should the situation deteriorate’…?”

The officer’s voice faltered as an instinctual dread washed over him, causing him to peer cautiously at the holy figure. While the Saint’s countenance remained as gentle as always, it carried an underlying aura that felt profoundly unsettling.

“The meaning is simple—”

Before Heinrich could articulate his thought fully, Harley chimed in, resting a hand against the grip of his massive poleaxe while letting out a dark rumble of amusement.

“Hahaha! We intend to breach their hiding spots and completely obliterate them!”

“…Huu.”

Beside him, Geos Calkin maintained a firm grip on his elongated lance, letting out a soft, chilling chuckle.

The local official swallowed hard, instinctively shifting his posture away from the group. As rumored, the frontline combatants of this crusade were completely bizarre… no, they were entirely monstrous.

“Is something amiss? Why do you stare at me in that fashion?”

“Ah, it is of no consequence.”

Isea narrowed her eyes in annoyance as his gaze inadvertently drifted toward her, prompting the official to swiftly look away while continuing to clear the perspiration from his face. It was entirely evident that even the youth traveling in their company possessed an abnormal nature.

—

Once the precise positions of the hidden saboteurs had been established, clearing them out proved to be an uncomplicated endeavor.

With a resonant strike, Heinrich’s consecrated blade separated his targets with flawless execution during every engagement.

“Hahaha! Face me, you cowards!”

Harley, maintaining his characteristic ferocity, clove through his opponents with immense satisfaction.

“Perish!”

Geos, pushed to a state of absolute fury by the mere presence of the heretical sorcerers, released his pent-up malice by impaling their forms repeatedly.

Concurrently, Isea anchored the defensive perimeter from the rear, keeping a watchful eye over the surrounding battlefield to neutralize any sudden fluctuations or traps. The enemy combatants attempted a multitude of desperate gambits, ranging from forcing their ritual arrays into an unstable overload to launching suicidal detonative rushes.

Yet, all of their efforts amounted to nothing more than a hopeless resistance against a group that had spent months adapting to these exact battlefield scenarios.

“This particular operation concluded with far less resistance than our previous encounters. It appears they were forced to organize their infrastructure under immense time constraints, leaving their defenses noticeably brittle.”

Isea tilted her head in contemplation once the crisis had been averted without substantial structural ruin and the companions gathered to debrief.

“Hahaha! Well, the ultimate success lies in the fact that we neutralized the threat before any citizens were harmed! It is highly probable we simply ambushed them before their preparations could reach completion.”

“Hmm, that logic tracks. Such discrepancies are bound to occur on occasion.”

“Haha, superb performance from everyone! My role was limited to observing from the periphery, yet the display was thoroughly exhilarating. Your collective prowess is truly remarkable!”

While the remainder of the circle engaged in lighthearted conversation, Geos, who had reverted to his standard quiet and brooding disposition, silently stepped closer to Heinrich.

The statement he was about to voice next… happened to be the exact declaration Heinrich had been waiting to receive.