93. Come Here

The Sanctuary of the Edmer family.

There was a new building built there.

[Here lies the great hero who protected the continent even after death]

It was the entrance to the tomb leading to the hero Ryu Jin.

Of course, not just anyone could approach it.

100 knights guarded the entrance to the tomb.

But right now.

Thud, thud.

Two people passed the knights and arrived at the entrance to the tomb.

They were a graceful young woman and a middle-aged man.

“Is this the place?”

“Yeah. Shall we go in?”

They were the previous Saintess and the Knight King.

But at the Knight King’s words, the hero’s companion and the previous Saintess shook her head.

There was no time to mourn Ryu Jin in peace.

“I heard his name is Jooyeon. It’s about time the man who led me here arrives.”

The Knight King looked at her in surprise.

After the hero’s death, she had been in seclusion, so why had she suddenly come out of seclusion to find the Knight King?

In a word, something serious enough to make her come out of seclusion must have happened. Something like the very existence of the temple being in danger.

And to think that it was because of Jooyeon, the Knight King could not help but be nervous.

“What in the world happened?”

“I heard that he cut off the head of the son of the Sun Temple’s Cardinal, who had been pretending to be a fake hero.”

“……!?”

What? Whose head did he cut off?

Even the Knight King was shocked by the news.

Even if he were a fake hero, he had killed the son of a Cardinal.

This was not a common occurrence. It could lead to a war with the Temple.

But he couldn’t understand.

“How could the son of a Cardinal be a fake hero?”

“The demons and apostates are showing themselves more and more often. The opinion of the Eight Great Temples is that we must somehow respond to them.”

“Huh… So they plan to counter the Demon King with a fake hero.”

“It’s not unprecedented.”

Even so, a fake hero…

The previous Saintess, Esmeralda, sighed.

“I think he secretly joined hands with the Demon Tower. It seems they even created an artifact that bears the Hero’s Crest.”

Could it be that he was also involved with the sorcerers?

The Knight King was surprised.

One of the untraceable companions was a Grand Sorcerer.

In a sense, it was a perfect opportunity to track them down, but this matter took precedence.

“They say that he couldn’t obtain the qualifications of a Hero’s master, but it’s actually rather suspicious.”

A fake hero would only hinder the real hero.

And yet, the Sun Temple had created a fake.

“It seems that while I was in seclusion, the Cardinals and my disciple were up to something.”

“Your disciple? Surely not?”

“The girl who succeeded me as Saintess.”

The Knight King’s expression hardened.

Could it be that they had created the fake hero?

“And this person named Jooyeon ordered her to bring the Saintess before him.”

The Knight King coughed uncharacteristically.

Oh no. He ordered her to bring the Saintess before him?

The Saintess was the spiritual pillar of the Temple.

It was like asking them to bring their leader!

He could imagine how the Temple would react.

If not for the Demon King’s curse, he would have gone himself.

However, after hearing the story, the Knight King asked curiously.

“But another hero? Wasn’t Jooyeon the only one?”

“They say there was another hero named ‘Leo.’ They say that he was the one who actually killed the Cardinal’s son.”

Two heroes, they say.

But if one of them was real, the other must be fake.

Wouldn’t they have fought each other?

Moreover, if he was strong enough to kill the Cardinal’s son, his opponent must have been quite skilled.

Esmeralda looked at the Knight King with surprise at his expression.

He was anxious and worried about others in such a way.

“Don’t worry. This Jooyeon subdued the other hero and requested a Rite of Authenticity.”

The Knight King’s eyes widened, an unusual sight.

Not only had he subdued the Hero, but he had also requested a marriage ritual.

“I knew there was something special when he shattered the Demon King’s heart, but…”

I never would have guessed he would be this audacious.

“This Leo, he must be an imposter, right?”

“Well, he did have the Hero’s crest around his neck, so I’m not sure.”

“……”

The Knight King rubbed the back of his neck.

Well, that didn’t matter.

Even if the main character was a fake, he was still a benefactor to the Edmer House. Edmer intended to protect him to the end.

Actually, he could even make him his successor and train him as a knight, so this might turn out well.

Yes, if he were to be selfish, he would rather the main character not be the Hero.

“The problem is that the Temple of the Sun might get involved in this.”

“Surely they wouldn’t dare brandish their swords in my territory?”

“They might not be that impatient. This is their first outing in a long time, so they must have a headache already.”

“This kind of headache isn’t our problem.”

In the past, the Hero’s party’s decisions were always made by one man.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the Hero, Ryuujin.

[Zig]

The unknown ninth member of the Hero’s party, and the first member.

Until now, he had never shown his face to anyone but the Hero, but he was the one who made all the decisions. Even though the other members objected, they never refused his decisions.

Zig was a man who hid in the Hero’s shadow, helping them from the sidelines.

He was like a commander, showing them the path forward.

He was always there, behind every victory.

“Even their victory over the Demon King was thanks to his idea. If it weren’t for Zig and the Hero, they wouldn’t have even been able to face the Demon King.”

Of course, no one knows where he is now.

Just as he had only ever communicated with the Hero, he disappeared after Ryuujin’s death.

He was the shadow leader they could only long for in their hearts.

“How do you think Zig would have handled this?”

“Well, he probably would have started by smashing the Cardinal to pieces.”

“That’s true.”

He wasn’t the type to leave any regrets behind him.

Moreover, the Hero’s party in the past was known as the strongest on the continent.

They would have definitely taken care of things.

But the main character is different.

“The main character isn’t as reckless as that guy.”

“Of course, there couldn’t be another reckless person like that.”

The Saintess nodded and asked,

“In that sense, was it the right decision to call this Mr. Main Character here?”

The previous Saintess had come to the Knight King and asked him to bring the main character’s party back to Edmer Castle. She wanted to ensure their safety before they clashed with the Cardinal.

The knight commander said, as if telling them not to worry.

“Yes. I sent a letter to have her return to the castle first….”

But right then,

“W-We have a problem. Saintess!”

A priest came running with an urgent expression.

“What is it?”

“Well, as soon as the heroes arrived, they went straight to the Sun Temple!”

What?

“Why on earth!”

From Noble mtl dot com

“They said that Lord Jooyeon would have a pleasant meeting with the Saintess….”

Their faces turned pale.

What?!

* * *

In the end, the interrogator was captured while burning.

Jooyeon also benefited greatly.

Because [Conqueror] had taken the interrogator’s abilities.

[You conquer the target.]

[You have acquired the ability of the Sun Temple Interrogator.]

[You have acquired <Sun’s Power>.]

[You have acquired <Sun’s Grace>.]

[You have acquired <Sun’s Compassion>.]

[You have acquired <Eternal Flame>.]

‘Purification during the recovery period. And even the Eternal Flame.’

His faith was lacking, so he didn’t have much divine power.

However, except for [Eternal Flame], they were abilities that he could use whenever he wanted.

It was only natural for Jooyeon to smile.

On the other hand, Leo’s face was stiff.

Because Jooyeon had gotten rid of that huge sun all by himself.

No. Rather than that, he might have been astonished by the overwhelming difference between him and Jooyeon.

Rather, he must have realized the difference more quickly because his abilities were better than others.

The problem was that Leo was the only one who had seen that sight clearly because of the flames.

So he had no choice but to follow Jooyeon, who was heading to the temple, and ask.

“How on earth did you do it?”

“What?”

“The attack that defeated the interrogator.”

He couldn’t believe it at all.

He had turned that huge sun back on the interrogator.

‘That’s only possible if you have a stronger power than your opponent.’

He had to withstand his opponent’s power and have enough power to turn it back on them.

‘Could it be that it’s something that only those who have reached a certain level can do?’

Moreover, he turned him, who has a strong resistance to flames, into a piece of charcoal.

Even for a hero, it was an impossible feat.

‘He may have special characteristics, but it shouldn’t be easy to do that.’

“How on earth did you……”

However, Jooyeon shrugged.

“Then will you tell me all of your abilities? While you’re at it, all of your characteristics as well?”

“…….”

Leo shut his mouth tightly.

No matter how curious he was about Jooyeon’s secret, he couldn’t reveal everything about himself.

Well, of course.

‘In this world, abilities and characteristics are proof of strength and a sore spot.’

If you analyze the two abilities well, you can figure out their weaknesses.

Even for a hero, you can find a vital point to kill them instantly.

Of course, there was no such weakness in , but it wasn’t a deal in Jooyeon’s favor.

That’s why he said this on purpose.

“You don’t want to tell me yours, but you ask about mine?”

Isn’t this being selfish?

At Jooyeon’s expression, Leo realized what he had done.

So he didn’t ask any more.

However, Leo didn’t know.

‘Actually, I know everything even if you don’t tell me, human.’

Jooyeon had raised countless heroes until now.

Even if he just stayed by their side, it was a piece of cake to figure out the specific characteristics and skills they had.

Why?

Jooyeon whispered quietly to Daedo.

“I’m curious about something. Can by any chance use on that guy as well?”

At those words, Daedo snickered for some reason.

“Should I test if it works?”

is a technique to steal information from the opponent.

Usually, Daedo would obediently follow Jooyeon’s words, but surprisingly, he followed Jooyeon’s words this time.

However, something strange happened.

[<Daedo Cheonsugwan-eum> uses Inspect]

flew not only to Leo, but also to Jooyeon.

However, Jooyeon smiled as if he had been waiting for this.

‘Yes, I knew you would do this.’

Normally, Jooyeon would say something even if he tried to use , but what if Jooyeon was curious like now?

He would pretend to satisfy Jooyeon’s curiosity and secretly check on Jooyeon as well.

That’s why Jooyeon asked that question on purpose. He knew this sly bastard would do this.

For this very situation.

[<Reflect> is used]

[Reflecting on <Hero Leo> in secret]

I tried it out on a whim, but my hunch was right.

[Succeeded in stealing information on Hero Leo using the <Observe> reflection.]

Normally, <Observe> shouldn’t work on someone like Leo, but it seemed he couldn’t completely block something that had been reflected once.

Soon, countless pieces of information floated up, piquing Joo-in’s interest.

‘Oh. He has all the basic hero traits, but he’s barely learned any separate abilities?’

That’s what was surprising.

‘Wait. He was that strong without any other job skills?’

I had naturally assumed he’d have other job skills.

Then there was only one possibility.

‘That guy’s hiding a special trait.’

There were a few guesses I could make.

[Lone Wolf]

An extremely rare trait that made one stronger when alone.

There was a similar ability called <Comradeship> that made one stronger as one’s comrades fell.

But this guy was alone, so there was no way he had that trait.

However, this was the most noticeable thing.

[Possesses a unique (unknown) trait]

Joo-in smiled.

‘Yep. It’s over once I confirm that.’

Is it because he’s a hero that he has a unique trait?

Of course it was a trait.

Traits were weaker than abilities like <Reflect>, but they allowed one to surpass certain limits.

I couldn’t see everything in detail, but it didn’t matter.

‘There’s only one unique trait that can manifest in a hero.’

Amongst players, there was a fantastical hidden trait that was said to rarely manifest in heroes.

No one had ever confirmed it, but if it existed…

If it did, it would be an incredible power for Joo-in.

‘Well, if I raise the Great Sword’s ability, I’ll be able to see everything.’

I could slowly confirm the details later. The important thing was to make that guy my absolute ally.

However, the Great Sword’s expression as he used his skill was strange.

“Eugh, what the heck! Why can’t I see yours! I could at least see one of his!”

Unlike Joo-in, it seemed he couldn’t see much information.

‘Well, Leo probably blocked it right away, so that makes sense.’

Even so, <Reflect> shouldn’t have detected it.

However, Joo-in kept his face blank.

“What? Did you secretly look again? That’s too much.”

“Are you saying you’re stronger than that guy?!”

At those words, Leo flinched, but soon looked at the Great Sword with sharp eyes. It seemed he had noticed the culprit who had stolen the information.

And at that moment, as he approached with the gaze of a thief who couldn’t shake his bad habit…

“Hold it. I’m not your opponent.”

“What?”

Joo-yeon, who had stopped Leo, looked at the building in front of them. It wasn’t Edmer Castle, but it was the Temple of the Sun located within the Duchy of Edmer.

The Cardinal crossed his arms and said,

“I’m sure you know this already. Do you think we’d open the door just because you came here?”

“It doesn’t matter. I just need to see the Saintess.”

“……You do know we can’t let the Saintess go, right?”

“In that case, I’ll just have to make her come out.”

“What? What are you going to do…..”

However, the Cardinal couldn’t finish his sentence.

BOOM!

With Joo-yeon’s kick, the entrance to the temple flew open.

“Come on out!”

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