Book 1 Chapter 282

282

"If Giant King Gias has truly appeared, wouldn't it be dangerous for the Hero Academy sophomores to continue their practical training right now?"

Mel said in a worried voice.

The Legion Commanders of Tartarus are terrifying monsters in themselves, but even more menacing are the demon legions they lead.

If a Legion Commander moved, there's a high probability that the legion following him also moved.

"You don't need to worry about that. Even if he truly moved, the probability of him moving his legion is extremely low."

"Why?"

"Gias only moves his legion when he's going to war."

During the Age of Calamity.

Leo participated in numerous wars against Tartarus.

In the Age of Calamity, wars with demons were commonplace.

But throughout those many wars, the times he encountered the Giant King's legion were few enough to count on one's fingers.

"A giant like him can't move without being discovered by people. That's why he needs to move carefully. Naturally, moving his legion also has to be done with caution."

Leo narrowed his eyes.

"Of course, his nature might have changed over the past 5000 years… but given that he's never left his name in history even once, that nature remains unchanged."

Mel nodded at Leo's words.

"Even so, it would be good to be vigilant. Mel, can you keep an eye on Mount Erdien for me?"

At his words, Mel knelt down and bowed her head slightly.

"As you command, Lord Leo."

***

In the tavern, the dwarves of Tarkam were drinking and chatting merrily.

Tarkam has numerous social strata.

From artisans who craft weapons to merchants, and miners who work in the mines.

And even warriors who subjugate monsters.

However, as it was at the edge of the dwarf territory, seeing other races was very rare.

Therefore, all the dwarves looked at those entering the tavern with curious eyes.

Thump!

"Oof!"

Karl, who was leading the way into the tavern, hit his head on the low doorway.

"A-are you okay?"

"How pathetic!"

Eiran approached Karl in a panic, and Dryana burst out laughing at the sight of Karl.

Eiran conjured magic and placed her hand on Karl's forehead.

Dryana also pulled out an ointment from her pocket.

"Apply this. The swelling will go down quickly."

"Th-thanks."

Karl applied the ointment Dryana gave him to his forehead.

Lunia and Ar muttered as they looked at the subtly low ceiling and small furniture.

"It feels just like a dwarf city."

"It's different from Dweonia, isn't it?"

The buildings in Dweonia were not significantly different from those of other races.

Seeing the two girls express their疑问, Dryana laughed heartily.

"Dweonia is a city frequented by many other races, so there are many buildings adjusted to the standards of other races, which is why it's not obvious. It's literally a city like a comprehensive collection of arts where various cultures gather in one place."

"That has nothing to do with art."

Lunia interjected, but Dryana didn't listen.

"But Tarkam is a purely dwarf city. Since there's little reason for other races to come here, everything is tailored to dwarves."

Saying that, Dryana went and sat in an empty seat.

The table and chairs were subtly small, but once Dryana sat down, they felt like just the right size.

Of course, when the rest of the group sat down, they looked quite comical.

"The spoons and forks are small too."

Eiran found it fascinating.

"Only the beer mugs are big."

Karl mumbled, looking at the mugs the dwarves were drinking from.

Meanwhile, a waitress came over, took their order, and left.

They ordered something to eat and waited.

Meanwhile, the gazes of the dwarves in the tavern focused on the group.

Other races were rare in Tarkam.

But if those other races were even famous Hero Academy students, attention was bound to be drawn even more.

It was at that moment, as the dwarves mumbled and looked at the group with curious eyes.

"Is it my turn to step up?"

A smug Karl stood up from his seat.

"I'll go and gather some rumors."

Karl, speaking confidently, approached a dwarf who was enjoying a drink by himself.

"Hello?

"Oh, a human. Judging by your clothes, you're a Lumern student, aren't you? What brings a human hero candidate to a place like this?"

When a dwarf who looked like a miner struck up a conversation, Karl spoke in a friendly manner.

"I came for practical training. I heard a giant monster appeared in Tarkam recently!"

"It appeared! But that's just a baseless rumor! Where would such a huge monster be?"

Karl grinned, watching the dwarf chuckle.

"Still, there must be plenty of rumors, right? Please tell me about them. I'll buy you a beer."

"Oho! You've got the right attitude, friend! Alright!"

Pleased with Karl's affability, the dwarf readily shared stories about the rumors.

Eiran admired the sight.

"Lord Karl is amazing, as expected!"

"I can do that much too."

Lunia replied with a pout.

Seeing that, Dryana said.

"Wouldn't a noble elf lady like yourself be bad at something like that?"

"Hmph. Just watch. I'll do it right."

An indignant Lunia rose from her seat and approached other dwarves.

"Listen. I'm a student dispatched from Seirun because of the rumors about a giant monster. Can you tell me anything about it? If you do, I'll buy your drinks tonight."

"Go away. We're not poor enough to beg for drinks."

Lunia returned with a shocked expression.

"Wh-why did I fail?"

"In my opinion, your attitude was too authoritative. The other person felt offended."

Lunia was flustered by Dryana's observation.

"How was my attitude authoritative? Elves always kindly tell me things when I act like this!"

"That's because you're a student from Seirun. And furthermore, dwarves and elves fundamentally don't get along. Your Seirun credentials don't work here."

"Ugh!"

It was then that Lunia flinched her shoulders.

Ar chuckled, then crossed her arms.

"As expected, a high-nosed elf lady can't handle this! Watch me carefully!"

Seeing Ar's smugness, Lunia made a frustrated expression.

Ar confidently walked over to three dwarf mercenaries.

"Hello! Handsome uncles! I have a question!"

"What! Uncles?!"

"We're women!"

"This cursed cat!"

"Meowk?!"

The drunken dwarf mercenaries, agitated by Ar's words, lunged at her.

A startled Ar frantically apologized before returning with a tearful face.

"They're clearly women, and you called them uncles? Idiot."

"Truly foolish!"

"Don't call me an idiot!"

Ar shouted with a red face at Lunia and Dryana's words.

"Th-this time, I'll try."

"Eiran. What's gotten into you? You're being so proactive in this."

When Lunia asked with a surprised look, Eiran spoke in a tense voice.

"I… I actually wanted to try something like this!"

With her eyes sparkling, Eiran approached an old dwarf.

"I'm worried."

Lunia murmured.

But Eiran returned after having a pleasant conversation with the old dwarf.

"Eiran! You did well? So? Did you hear anything?"

"Yes! I heard a lot of new stories about Lord Dweno!"

Seeing Eiran joyfully talk like a child who had forgotten her purpose and just listened to stories from a grandfather, Lunia let out a deep sigh.

"You, Dryana, right? You try too."

"Karl is doing a good job, so why should I waste my energy?"

Dryana shrugged.

It was a perfectly valid point.

Just then, Leo returned to the tavern, sat down, and said.

"Having a good time?"

"We're not playing! We're gathering information!"

Lunia glared at Leo.

Meanwhile, Karl approached with a beaming smile.

"I'm back! Leo, you're here?"

"By the look on your face, it seems you had satisfying results."

"Hmph, of course."

"Wow! That's amazing, Lord Karl. We all failed!"

Eiran exclaimed in admiration.

Karl made a sour expression at the sight.

"No, what reason is there to fail something that you just have to ask about…"

"Alright! Alright! So what stories did you hear?!"

"Yes! Tell us quickly!"

Lunia and Ar hastily changed the subject.

Seeing the two, Karl cleared his throat with an "Ahem!" and said.

"First, it seems the monster wasn't only seen by the guards on duty at the time."

"What?"

"Many people within the city also saw the monster. Most of them were apparently drunkards since it was late at night."

Hearing Karl's words, Eiran flinched, looking a little scared.

"If there are so many witnesses, couldn't it really be a monster? Like Tartarus's Legion Commander, the Giant King?"

"No. It wouldn't be the Giant King."

Lunia shook her head.

"We don't know how enormous the Giant King is, but in any case, if he's called the Giant King, he must be incredibly huge, right? If a monster of that size teleports, a ripple of magic power is bound to be left behind. But they said that monster disappeared in the blink of an eye."

Lunia crossed her arms.

"Could it be that they all collectively saw a hallucination?"

Dryana nodded at Lunia's words.

"That makes sense."

"What happened to the drunkards who saw the monster afterwards?"

"They sobered up, but since it vanished from sight in an instant, they apparently dismissed it as a momentary misperception."

"What's the condition of the guards who witnessed it from the city walls now?"

Karl crossed his arms at Leo's question.

"They're all suffering from delusions and are in the hospital."

"Delusions, you say? That's a symptom of seeing a high-ranking demon, isn't it?"

"Can you find out about that hospital?"

"It's difficult right now. I'll find out by tomorrow morning."

"Thank you."

Leo nodded.

'First, it's important whether the Giant King truly came to Mount Erdien or not. If they fell into fear and suffered delusions from seeing the Giant King, there would be faint traces of his dark magic left behind. If he truly moved… there must be a clear reason for his movement. If it's something important enough for him to move himself…'

Leo's eyes narrowed.

'It's definitely something that could overturn the current balance.'

***

Thump-! Thump-!

In the dead of night, the ground trembled.

A colossal monster, seemingly able to reach the sky, was moving.

Thump-!

The Giant King, Gias, stopped his steps and looked up at the sky.

What hung in the sky was not a pure white moon.

An ominous, blood-red moon.

Staring at the moon, the monster opened its mouth.

GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!

A terrifying roar echoed in all directions.

Ecstasy rose in Gias's eyes.

The red moon, seen for the first time in 5000 years, was enough to make Gias feel elated.

What an indulgence of freedom, enjoyed after so long!

The era when that red moon rose in the night sky was their era.

An era when they didn't have to hide!

An era when this world belonged to them!

Though he had returned to that era, Gias could not be satisfied.

Such freedom in this fake world. It was not true freedom.

"How I miss it! Our era!"

Remembering the hateful beings who usurped their era, Gias bellowed.

"This time, I will finally have my revenge on you."

The corners of his mouth twisted hideously.

"Wait for me, Blacksmith of the Gods."