Chapter 93 - But There's Still Hope (2)

The Berserker—that is, the fighter class—is the most boisterous and simple-minded character in the original 'Legend of Heroes'.

You can tell just by the fact that while all the other classes have stories centered around growth, agony, and wandering, he alone lives a YOLO life, doing whatever the hell he wants.

But yeah. Living too much of a YOLO life has its own problems.

As you can guess from the name Berserker, that class is ridiculously belligerent. Hell, the very first line he shouts when his personal story begins is, "I want to fight all the strong people in the world!"

To put it nicely, he's spirited; in reality, you can just view him as a battle maniac.

"A fight! Dripping sweat, boiling blood! How delightful!"

I stiffened my neck at him. Honestly, I was closer to being fed up than annoyed, but my concept dictated that it was about time my anger started boiling over.

"Or, don't tell me you're scared?"

And from the standpoint of someone who lives entirely on pride with zero self-esteem, I couldn't let that provocation slide. I finally opened my mouth.

"As if I would be scared of a barbarian who doesn't have even a speck of dirt under his fingernails' worth of manners."

"Then why won't you stand up?"

"I have no intention of playing along with your barbarism."

I wondered if having a bout right here would be more fitting, but crushing him with words shouldn't break character either.

Right, considering it had only been a little over a fortnight since I put the seal on my arm, it would be weird to get into a brawl with an ordinary person—ordinary in the sense that he had nothing to do with demons—just because I couldn't hold in my temper.

Besides, dealing with the Berserker... was a net loss whether I won or lost.

If I won, he would keep pestering me to fight until he beat me. And if I lost, the defeat itself wouldn't suit my reputation.

"So you were a coward."

But constantly calling me out with 'scared?' since earlier was crossing the line. Setting aside my concept, as a Korean, I couldn't tolerate that.

"Hold it in."

Maybe it was because of the grinding sound escaping my teeth. The Archmage hurriedly grabbed my left arm. His expression was somewhat stiff, as if he was genuinely startled by the situation.

The Inquisitor, sitting to my right at the round table, also reached out, mirroring the Archmage's actions.

Since I hated people touching my right arm, she refrained from making actual contact, but her intent to stop me was clear.

"Demon Knight."

I had been given enough justification. I relaxed my body, leaving the Berserker with a disappointed expression.

My tense companions sighed in relief, while the Berserker looked even more dejected.

"I thought I'd finally found a strong opponent after so long, but I guess it ends like this."

The Berserker let out a deep sigh and left for an empty table.

"Owner! Bring out what I ordered earlier!"

"Yes, sir!"

His subsequent shout soothed the owner, who had been anxiously fretting over a fight breaking out in the shop.

"Wow, it feels like a storm just passed."

Only then did DeB finally open his mouth.

"Things were so tense I thought I was gonna die, you know?"

Thinking about how he must have been holding his breath during the battle of nerves between me and the Berserker made me feel a little sorry.

"He is a rude man. To force his own opinions without even seeking anything in return. That is not right."

On the other hand, the Inquisitor spat out her words without filtering them. She had the ability to protect herself even if a fight broke out, so it wasn't strange.

DeB stole a slightly envious glance at the Inquisitor.

"There are all sorts of people in the world. Still, it's fortunate that he backed down. Some people refuse to accept rejection and pick a fight anyway."

"Such a thing! To pick a fight completely one-sidedly, that should never be tolerated."

Picking a fight completely one-sidedly, huh. I recalled my first encounter with the Inquisitor and quickly dismissed the thought.

"Regardless, the important thing is not to play along. You held yourself back well too. I ask of you... to continue doing so in the future."

"It'll be a hassle if he comes at us again while we stick around, so should we get going? It looks like we're done eating anyway."

Either way, I just wanted to get out of here quickly like DeB said.

Judging by the script I faintly remembered, the Berserker wouldn't bother us anymore here, but you never knew.

And if we left right now, it would also eliminate any chance for the Berserker to join the party.

"That sounds good."

"I have just finished eating as well. Let us depart."

Fortunately, neither the Archmage nor the Inquisitor opposed the idea. We hurriedly left the restaurant, and the village.

"I hope we never run into him again."

... As for DeB setting off a flag right at the end, well. I could only pray it wouldn't come true.

* * *

"So this is Pa Enoch..."

We swapped our horses for camels and rode on for several more days. And at the end of that journey, we finally arrived at Pa Enoch, the city where the Inoxar arena was located.

"Maybe because it's the frontline, the inspections are incredibly strict."

DeB's grumbling wasn't without reason.

Unlike other cities where we could enter in a single minute, we had to wait almost ten minutes in Pa Enoch, and under the blazing sun at that.

Even this was a better situation compared to ordinary people—they apparently waited about three hours on average—but... from the perspective of someone who had always enjoyed a free pass, I couldn't help but get the impression that they were 'strict.'

"It would be troublesome if demon worshipers slipped in and caused a commotion, after all."

"Though the ones determined to get in will still get in no matter what they do."

"It's better than doing nothing at all."

That was true.

I agreed with the Archmage's opinion and looked around the scenery of Pa Enoch.

Befitting a desert city, houses made of dirt were densely packed together, and the roads were narrower than in a normal city. Rather than being narrow due to a lack of space, it seemed intentionally designed that way so they could drape cloth over them.

"Uwah, finally some shade!"

Thanks to this, DeB was the most excited.

The Inquisitor had her armor. The Archmage had clothes enchanted with temperature regulation. And strangely enough, I didn't feel the heat at all.

Because of those reasons, he had been the only one dying from the desert heat.

"It's a bit better here."

To me, the temperature felt similar to Zakrati or Montata. Was it just because there was no shade and less wind?

"How frail."

"Is that something someone relying on gear to survive should say?"

"The Demon Knight is wearing four whole layers."

"That guy is...!"

What.

"... Isn't it a bit too much to use the boss as a point of comparison?"

I barely held back my urge to chuckle and stepped forward. It wasn't hot, but I really wanted to take off the cloak and hood I was forced to wear for various reasons.

I had no choice but to wear them because everyone begged me to, but it was ruining my style!

"Whether it's Inoxar or whatever, let's find the Temple first."

"If you're looking for the Temple, it's over there."

We completely ignored the soliciting near the city gates and moved according to DeB's pointing.

The Archmage knew a lot of things too, but in a place like this, there truly was no talent quite like DeB.

"To think the Temple is this far inward. At this rate, it might be even bigger than the one in Somon."

"It's the central axis of the Southern Front. It can't help but be large."

"... Ah, didn't it get bigger because of the arena?"

"Yes. In the first place, the arena is merely a byproduct born as this place served as a central hub."

At the Archmage's explanation, the Inquisitor blinked. She seemed to have understood the words, but still didn't quite get it.

Lacking even more knowledge than the Inquisitor, I was just as curious.

The Archmage had claimed that the frontlines were safer than we thought, and that they could afford the luxury of an arena because of it... but I was genuinely wondering just how much leeway they had to allow such a thing.

"Do you really not even know that? The arena is like a bait, so to speak."

DeB chimed in. It was an ambiguous hint that I could somewhat grasp but not entirely.

"A bait to keep the strong tied down to the Southern Front."

"... I don't quite understand what that means."

"Ah, so..."

While DeB was about to chide the Inquisitor, the Archmage quietly sidled up to me.

"Is your body alright?"

The words that followed were something I had been hearing at least once a day ever since we got closer to Pa Enoch. For the past two days, it had become a phrase I heard every morning, noon, and night.

"I'm, certain, I answered that this morning."

Ah, holding back my character's temper out of consideration for the situation only goes so far.

After hearing it this much, my concept wouldn't hold back anymore either. Wasn't my temper already slowly being grated down from having to report whether the seal was working or damaged every single morning and evening?

When I gave my answer through gritted teeth out of consideration for that, the Archmage backed off. Even so, he was the kind of person who would ask again come evening.

I knew he was just worried about me, but even my real self was starting to get sick of it.

CRASH!

Meanwhile, did this city have a rule that allowed fighting in the middle of the main street? Unless it was a completely lawless hellhole, that shouldn't be the case.

I reflexively raised my hand first to block the Archmage and DeB from moving forward. The next one to act was the Inquisitor.

THUD!

Right after the Inquisitor stepped to the very front and raised her shield, a shower of stone dust poured down.

"Wh-What is it?!"

It was a good thing the Inquisitor stood slightly diagonally from me. Through my unobstructed view, I grasped the situation more accurately.

A distance of barely five meters. A Middle swordsman, having crashed through the cloth draped overhead like a ceiling, lay sprawled on the ground.

And the one who put that swordsman in that state was...

"Are you out already?!"

I suspected it was the dark-skinned Middle who jumped down from the building rooftop to the main street.

For a moment, I was startled, thinking it was the Berserker.

"To start a fight on the main street!"

On the other hand, the Inquisitor focused on something different than I did. True to her principled nature, she pointed out the violation of order and rules.

Given that victims caught up in the fight were appearing one after another, it wasn't exactly an overreaction either. Now that innocent bystanders were hurt, they were undeniably criminals.

"Wow. I heard public order in Pa Enoch wasn't that great, but things are getting heated right from the start. It's not every day you see a fight breaking out openly on the main street."

"Are the guards not coming?"

Having no intention of interfering, the Archmage looked for public authorities.

"I heard the guards are pretty sharp since there are so many incidents and accidents, so they're probably on their way right about now."

It was exactly as DeB said. It was a bit confusing since there were so many people's presences, but I could feel a group running over from yonder. It was likely the guards.

But since the outcome was pretty much already decided... would there be any point?

"Hey, fighting on the main street is forbidden."

Right then, someone trudged over and intervened in the fight. It was a man with reddish-brown hair sticking out in all directions like a lion's mane.

"It's Redmane!"

"Kankan!!"

"Please, quickly take care of that wicked bastard!"

I got the impression that he was quite strong.

Of course, even if I wasn't at the level to accurately gauge his realm like a martial artist in a wuxia novel, extraordinary people naturally looked special even to the eyes of ordinary folks. That man fit that description perfectly.

"Kankan?"

"He's a pretty popular warrior at Inoxar. Not on the level of the Champion, but in terms of popularity alone, he's easily in the top ten at Inoxar."

"I see..."

Redmane, Kankan nonchalantly approached the dark-skinned Middle. The opponent's expression contorted somewhat.

"Hah, why should I listen to you?!"

It was a bold statement, but not a very wise choice.

"Because this happens if you don't listen."

In a flash, Kankan's body darted forward like an arrow, and he grabbed the Middle's face. The opponent didn't seem to grasp the situation even after his head was caught.

However, life doesn't just flow along considerately for everyone.

CRASH!

Kankan's hand smashed the opponent headfirst into the ground. It looked quite painful, seeing as the earth caved in and slightly buried his skull.

He might have even died.

"Ugh."

"Good grief, what a pain in the ass."

Still, it seemed he had managed to keep his life, seeing as he could at least groan.

"Take him away quickly."

"Ah, thank you for your help, Lord Redmane!"

"What kind of disaster is this when I just came out to buy some snacks."

The guards stepped in right as Kankan backed off and brought the situation under control.

Seeking out victims to secure testimonies, arresting the fighters, and briskly clearing away the collapsed tents—they clearly hadn't done this just once or twice.

In an instant, the street was returned to its original state.

"... He's strong."

In the meantime, the Inquisitor quietly voiced her impression. She probably wasn't talking about the guards, so she was likely evaluating Kankan...

It wasn't that she couldn't pull off such a feat herself, but she seemed surprised that someone other than her had accomplished it. Until now, the only ones capable of such things had been our group.

"To think a powerhouse like that isn't the Champion."

Truthfully, I was taken aback by that part as well.

To think they hadn't shown a single person that strong until now, only to immediately throw one out just because we moved to a new region.

While thinking it definitely lived up to the name of 'frontline,' I grew a little tense. It made me wonder if things were going to slowly get overwhelming for me too.

"When even someone who isn't the Champion is that strong, I'm looking forward to seeing how strong the Champion is."

Still, it wouldn't have spiked to the point of being agonizing, right? I had all the levels I'd grinded up until now, after all. Yeah, totally.

"Are you warriors planning to challenge Inoxar?"

In that moment, someone casually struck up a conversation. It was Redmane Kankan, who had subdued the rampaging greenhorn and was about to go on his way.

Through his hair, an earring hanging from only one ear gleamed exceptionally bright.

"You're faces I haven't seen before. Must be your first time here, huh?"

With a rather tired expression—looking like an office worker trudging out to buy snacks on a rare day off—he briefly scanned us.

The Inquisitor at the very front, the Archmage who stood out due to his height, DeB panting from the heat, and finally me, in that order.

However, when our eyes met, his expression seemed to stiffen a bit... Though I didn't quite know why. Surely he couldn't sense demonic energy too, right?

"Well... yeah. Do your best. Just don't overdo it. You look pretty young, and there are a lot of guys here who won't go easy on you just because you're kids. Not trying to look down on you, but take it easy with your futures in mind."

Seeing that the mood didn't turn hostile, it didn't seem like I needed to worry. Giving well-wishes on our first meeting also made it seem like he had a good personality.

"And lastly... don't meet the Martial King."

Seemed to have.

"Pardon?"

"Absolutely, if possible. Not that there's any way to meet him outside the arena anyway, but still."

"What do you..."

"I'm off."

Did he really strike up a conversation just to give that one piece of advice? More importantly, if you're going to give advice, at least give me a convincing reason.

"Wait, at least tell us what you mean..."

"I hope you get good results."

The Archmage tried to hold onto him until the end, but Kankan slipped away like a cat that hated being touched.

It was the end of an encounter that caused no harm to be called a disaster, yet was too ambiguous to be called a help.