Chapter 56

Chapter 56
## Chapter 56: The Fraudulent Eight Heroes

“That would be the Maxim of the Eight Heroes. Ah… I suppose since you’ve been unconscious this entire time, it makes sense that you are unaware.”

Recognizing that Serengeti had been in a deep sleep without pause, he shifted his explanation.

Ever since the conclusion of the Great Demon World Expedition, Serengeti had remained in a state of slumber. Though she had flickered into consciousness once before, she had no grasp of the world’s current affairs.

A sudden shiver ran through her as she questioned him.

“You aren’t suggesting that this ‘hero’ label was invented after the campaign ended, are you?”

“That is exactly what happened.”

“And it’s not just the Lone Hero Wilhelm, but eight of them?”

“…Among those Eight Heroes is the Knight King Wilhelm. And Maxim is included as well.”

“What? What kind of idiocy is that? Maxim tucked tail and ran the moment the expedition began. He’s nothing but a coward who deserted his own mercenary company just to ensure his own survival.”

“…Wait a moment. Is that actually the truth?”

The Wyzer Marquis’s eyes stretched wide in shock.

Was Maxim, one of the revered Eight Heroes, truly a common deserter? He had faint memories of hearing such rumors in the past, but he had never been able to confirm their validity.

However, Serengeti was his own child. The marquis was well aware that she loathed deception more than anything else. If she said it, it was an undeniable reality.

Serengeti cast a sharp look his way before pressing on.

“Wilhelm was the solitary soul who actually reached the Demon King at the heart of the Demon World. Maxim was a spineless runaway who fled the second he reached the gates.”

“Then what of the others among the Eight Heroes?”

“…Who even are they? Eight heroes?”

The Wyzer Marquis took a heavy breath and recited the names of the remaining figures. As the last name left his lips, Serengeti began to shake with a violent, simmering fury.

“Vermin without a shred of honor…! Two of those names never even stepped foot on the expedition grounds. How can they be so bold?”

“Which ones didn’t go?”

“Gracia and Master. Neither of them participated. And as for the rest—none of those names belong to anyone even resembling a hero.”

“…If your words are accurate, then this… this is a catastrophic issue.”

Even the Wyzer Marquis could now see the terrifying weight of the situation. With the exception of Wilhelm, the entirety of the Eight Heroes—starting with Maxim—were total frauds. They were pretenders wearing the masks of legends.

The entire world lived under the delusion that they were the genuine article. And those who possessed the truth to shatter that illusion were all in their graves.

All of them, except for one person.

Everyone but Serengeti.

“This must be corrected.”

“No one is going to believe you.”

“…Successor.”

“Besides, the curse hasn’t fully released its grip on you yet.”

“Does this not feel like a grave injustice to you?”

Injustice?

I gave a simple shrug.

“What do you imagine is going to happen next?”

“…Ah.”

Only then did Serengeti take a moment to draw a deep, grounding breath. A small, knowing chuckle escaped her lips.

“…They truly are fools.”

Complete idiots.

They had managed to turn the one individual they should have feared most into their absolute enemy.

Serengeti understood Wilhelm better than anyone else. The Wilhelm who held honor above all else was also the type of man who secured his goals regardless of the cost. He was a man who would dismantle anyone standing in his way through any possible avenue.

He was the most daunting, the most powerful, and he never offered a hint of compassion to those who opposed him. Thinking of that, there was really no reason to fret.

“Stand up. Hudson has tended to your injuries.”

“What do you mean…?”

Serengeti reached out, quickly checking beneath her covers. Her legs, now perfectly intact and restored, came into her view.

“…How is this even possible?”

“Hudson utilized a top-tier elixir to mend you.”

I was the one who provided the medicine, but since Hudson performed the actual treatment, the statement wasn’t a lie. Hudson looked at me, his expression overflowing with deep sentiment. If looks could kill, my face would be full of holes by now.

“Hudson. You did all of this for me…?”

“The Successor was the one who obtained the elixir. I merely applied it drop by drop—I did nothing of great importance.”

“But still, you haven’t slept a wink…”

“It was for your sake. Knowing you are well is enough to make me die a happy man.”

“Oh, Hudson!”

“Serengeti!”

The two of them locked in a fierce, emotional embrace.

Watching the scene unfold, the Wyzer Marquis could do nothing but blink in sheer, baffled confusion.

“I realize this is a very moving reunion, but Serengeti, there is a task I need you to perform for me.”

Thud!

In an instant, Serengeti’s posture went rigid. She snapped to attention with the precision of her days as an active knight. Rising from her spot, she brought her clenched right fist over her heart in a formal salute.

“Give me your commands, and I shall see them through, no matter the obstacle.”

“You are a necessary part of my upcoming trial.”

Main Quest 6.

To drive that quest forward on my own, I needed her. Her specific talents and the incredible power she had inherited from the ‘Star’.

A sharp light ignited in Serengeti’s gaze.

“You have a need for me?”

“…That is correct.”

“I understand. When shall we set out?”

“Keep it in mind for now. I will let you know the timeline shortly.”

Seeing her bursting with such energy and drive, it was clear her recovery was total. Furthermore, this was a moment for family and friends to reconnect. I had no desire to intrude on that.

Serengeti, however, had other ideas.

“Why should we delay? If the goal is to crush those pretenders, I am ready to lead the assault. We ought to take the heads of those pathetic traitors and idiots, tossing them into the dark void to rot for eternity. We must reclaim our stolen dignity and show the world the identity of the true hero. There is no reason to pause for even a moment before dealing with those silver-tongued liars who spread such filth—”

The preparations were indeed complete, I noted.

Every time I spoke with Serengeti, I felt the urge to skip through her dialogue. She could fill an entire script by herself. Initially, I thought her long-windedness might hide secrets to hidden quests, but I found nothing but words.

It seemed Wilhelm had dealt with the same thing.

‘…I’m getting flashes of PTSD.’

A memory began to surface from the Star. Serengeti became incredibly talkative whenever she was energized. It was likely a psychological reaction to the years of silent training she endured as a child. Once she started talking, stopping her was nearly impossible.

This was as authentic as it got.

“This is… well.”

The Wyzer Marquis looked between me and Serengeti, blinking rapidly. He was discovering for the first time that his daughter was a chatterbox, and he noticed that my rapport with her didn’t seem like that of two people who had just met.

To keep suspicion at bay, I shrugged with as much indifference as I could muster.

“It was mentioned in the Knight King’s records. It said that if you don’t interrupt her, she’ll keep talking for an hour without breaking a sweat.”

“…My daughter?”

“Did you put her through silent training when she was young?”

While silent training usually meant avoiding meaningless chatter, “no-talk” training meant literal silence. The Wyzer Marquis nodded, looking pained.

“…The fault is mine.”

“She only acts this way around people she trusts, so don’t let it bother you.”

He seemed to view her talkativeness as some sort of ailment. I suppose for a noble knight family, a daughter who couldn’t stop talking was seen as a significant weakness.

Of course, Serengeti only opened up like this to two individuals in the world. One was Hudson. The other was Wilhelm.

Perhaps that explained why Hudson was giving me such a peculiar look. It was as if he hadn’t expected her to show this side of herself to anyone but him.

“…Ahem. My apologies. I got carried away.”

In the meantime, Serengeti realized her outburst and bowed her head in a brief apology. She had interpreted “I need your help for my trial” as “I need your blade to kill the traitors.” While not entirely wrong, Main Quest 6 was the priority.

Those so-called Eight Heroes—minus myself—were nothing more than a house of cards waiting to fall.

‘They are far too confident that they have all the players under their thumb.’

Their current actions proved it. Seeing them make such elaborate excuses in the real world made it clear the end was approaching.

Those players who stayed in the shadows, whom I had assumed were just named NPCs. If they truly were players, they wouldn’t be easily manipulated by the Eight Heroes. They simply preferred to work from the darkness rather than seek fame.

‘Once the balance shifts, they will take action.’

The moment things tipped over, they would turn against the Eight Heroes. Soon, Earth would transform into a chaotic war zone. In that chaos, the secret that the ‘Dimension Warrior’ was merely a ‘game addict’ might be revealed.

If the reputation of the warriors shattered, would the populace still place their faith in them? Once a seed of doubt is planted, it only expands. It wouldn’t happen today, but there were countless ways to dismantle them. It was simply a matter of finding the most efficient path.

“Talk amongst yourselves.”

I made my exit before any unnecessary questions could arise. Conveniently, there was a location I needed to visit.

—

As I moved outside, Isaac was waiting for me, his face etched with concern.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind.”

“To be honest… I’m feeling restless.”

“Afraid someone is coming for you?”

Isaac gave a slow nod. That fear was the sole reason he had stayed hidden in Kramdel for so long—to hide from those he had betrayed.

“Relax. No one is going to be looking for you for a while.”

They didn’t have the luxury. For the time being, the entire continent would be consumed by the scandals surrounding Maxim and the Duke of Sai. Furthermore, the people Isaac had crossed were mostly named NPCs—or rather, players.

Most of them were linked to the Eight Heroes, who were currently overwhelmed with issues on Earth. With the Maxim situation added to the pile, no one was going to waste their time on someone like Isaac.

“Keep your word to me, and I will keep mine to you.”

The deal was simple: one year of his service in exchange for a high-grade potion to change his appearance. A chance at a completely new life—it wasn’t a hollow offer.

“…I’ll put my faith in you.”

Isaac exhaled deeply.

Star Awakener. Master of Five Forces. Successor to the Knight King.

Isaac didn’t know which version of the man he was looking at, but he knew one thing for certain.

‘His promises have weight.’

For some reason, the man was inherently believable. His claim that no one would be hunting him provided a strange sense of relief. His anxiety seemed to evaporate in an instant, almost like a trick of the mind.

The vow to fulfill the deal felt genuine as well. Why? Wasn’t this a man who wore many masks and manipulated those around him?

Yet, there was an undeniable dignity in his words and his presence. Everyone who followed him did so with sincerity. Isaac had encountered many people in his life, but he had never met anyone who projected such a strange, magnetic aura of reliability. Not even the famous Eight Heroes he had encountered could match it.

‘Compared to them, this man—’

Did he not seem more like a true hero?

His conduct and his choices naturally brought the word to mind. In Kramdel, he had imprisoned the gatekeeper of the Demon World, Ahram. In the Knight’s Garden, he had dismantled Maxim, one of the Eight Heroes who had been a plague on the people.

The methods weren’t always virtuous, but the final outcome was a perfect act of justice. No one could have foreseen him turning Maxim into an undead thrall to eliminate the Duke of Sai. If that didn’t define a hero, what did?

‘If you look past the means and focus on the ends, he is a hero.’

What kind of man was he truly? The more Isaac learned, the more he felt like he was peeling back the layers of an endless onion.

It was then that I spoke up.

“But your infamy rating is a bit of a concern.”

“My infamy rating?”

“Exactly.”

I nodded. It was true. His reputation didn’t matter while we were in Kramdel, but in civilized cities—particularly around the clergy—Isaac’s dark reputation would be glaringly obvious.

Isaac’s infamy was equivalent to that of a notorious ‘archvillain.’ He was on the level of a high-ranking officer in a massive criminal syndicate. If we left it as is, he would terrify the average citizen. Moving together would be a nightmare of complications.

“This is perfect timing. Let’s wipe that away.”

“…I beg your pardon?”

Isaac couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Did he just suggest erasing his criminal record?

“Follow me.”

—

Isaac stood in a daze, staring at Priest Andrew. The priest looked equally stunned.

“An… indulgence…”

It was clear that Priest Andrew had already utilized all three available indulgences. He had used every single one on a single person. And yet, a fourth indulgence had manifested before him.

As he purified his hands in the holy vessel, Priest Andrew realized with a shock that he was capable of granting one more ‘indulgence.’ And it could only be given to the man standing in front of him.

‘So that is why the Platinum Boxes are restricted to priests.’

A small smile touched my lips. It all clicked into place.

The Platinum Box I received for sealing Ahram was restricted to high-ranking clergy who knew the ‘Prayer of Praise.’ There was a reason for that.

‘Indulgences can be replicated.’

That was why I hadn’t felt any guilt about using the final one previously.

Priest Andrew, still struggling with the reality of it, spoke up.

“I can invoke the power of the indulgence one more time, but I cannot fathom how this is possible…?”

“I grant you absolution for your past, Isaac.”

“W-Wait! You can’t just throw it around like that…!!”

Flash!

I placed my hand on Isaac’s head and activated the power. A brilliant, holy light surged forth, washing away his infamy until his record was spotless.

I turned my gaze back to them.