Book 1 Chapter 468

Jerome, having finished his audience with the King, walked down the palace corridor at a leisurely pace.

Behind him followed the woman who had informed King Pettiman of the victory.

"You seem to be in a good mood."

"Do I?"

Jerome replied, stroking his smiling face.

"Yes. You seem genuinely happy. Isn't this just a small victory for you?"

"Yes. It's just a small victory for me."

While it was presented to King Pettiman as a monumental victory, it was a trivial one in Jerome's eyes.

A hero is a being with the power to change the tide of the battlefield with a single person.

And Jerome Cadmium is the Guild Master of Justice, a guild composed of such heroes.

He is the leader of the great heroes who transform and lead the world.

Verin, the Royal Court Mage of the Kingdom of Pettiman, couldn't understand why Jerome, possessing such power and influence, would be delighted by this minor victory.

"However, this victory was achieved not by our strength, but by Pettiman's. Even if it's a paltry victory by my standards, it's worth more than a thousand gold pieces to the Kingdom of Pettiman."

"Ah."

Verin clasped her hands together and exclaimed.

"Master Jerome. How could you think like that…"

Compared to a hero, she was like a firefly in the night sky, but a Royal Court Mage of a nation was by no means a low-ranking position.

She too had had opportunities to encounter various heroes through the Mage Association.

However, the majority of heroes she had met were arrogant.

But Jerome was different.

Despite being the head of Justice, he was humble and considerate of others.

It was enough to make one think he was truly a hero of justice.

Every word he spoke seemed to be for the sake of the country.

"Don't worry, Royal Court Mage Verin."

Jerome offered his hand with a gentle smile.

"As long as Justice is with you, the Kingdom of Pettiman will only know victory. Trust us."

"Yes! Master Jerome! In the name of justice! We will vanquish evil!"

Verin knelt and bowed her head, gazing at Jerome's saintly smile.

Her posture was akin to that of worshipping a deity.

A moment later, Jerome returned to his room and spoke with a blank expression.

"Status report?"

"It's going smoothly, Master. The Kingdom of Carnel's forces are suffering near-devastating damage on all fronts."

"Isn't it natural for them to suffer such losses when they bear the name of Justice?"

"Indeed, but they are still hero candidates."

"Hero candidates. A nostalgic name."

Jerome smiled wryly and shifted his posture.

"However, our guild's brats don't like being called that, do they? Executives."

Jerome glanced at the executives seated in a corner of the room and smiled faintly.

"They don't like it."

"They prefer to be called Reserve Heroes."

"Then let's change their titles. To Reserve Heroes."

Jerome chuckled and said,

"Honestly, what does the title matter? Anyone can become a hero if they have the karma befitting the status of a hero."

"How credible is your karma theory?"

One of the Justice executives asked with a puzzled expression.

At the question, Jerome smiled and rose from his seat.

"Only those chosen by the gods can have their names inscribed in the Hero Records. In other words, in a sense, they are the proxies of the gods."

Jerome spread his arms.

"People think that only those who possess power close to the gods, have noble goals, and have achieved great deeds can become heroes. That's what ordinary people think."

"Indeed, it is."

"Yes. But we, who are already heroes, know it all."

Jerome looked at the executives and smirked.

"Even weaklings who can't possibly be considered heroes. Scum with personality flaws. Hypocrites with ugly natures can become heroes."

"That's certainly true, Master Jerome. Even someone like you became a hero."

To the words of the Vice Guild Master, Chain, Jerome smiled faintly.

"There are no qualifications for being a hero. There are only criteria. And I…"

Jerome looked down at his palm.

"Became a hero on the battlefield."

On the battlefield, the one who brings victory is the hero.

The process doesn't matter.

No matter how many enemies are killed.

No matter how many allies are sacrificed.

Or how many meaningless lives are taken.

The only achievement that matters is leading the war to victory, regardless of the process.

"Is this war a sort of experiment to test your karma theory?"

One of the executives rested his chin on his hand and clicked his tongue.

"That's right."

"Getting involved in wars under the guild's name can lead to troublesome matters, so we have to disguise guild members as belonging to the kingdom, but it's an experiment well worth the hassle, isn't it?"

"Why did you involve the dropouts from Rumern in the experiment?"

Another executive asked, listening to the conversation.

"Guild Master, didn't you despise the dropouts? Didn't you claim that only graduates of the Hero Academy were qualified to be heroes?"

"My thoughts have changed. There are many who have achieved the position of hero even if they are not graduates of Rumern, aren't there? I realized that denying them wouldn't be right. Excessive elitism isn't good."

Jerome crossed his arms.

"Besides, they are juniors, aren't they? It's only natural for seniors to give opportunities to desperate juniors."

Jerome turned and looked out the window.

"I need more heroes for my goal."

"What is your goal?"

"Did I not say? To create a just world led by chosen heroes."

Jerome smiled brightly.

"In that sense, we need to find the treasure trove buried in the tomb of Tamus, the Knight of the Underworld, who slumbers somewhere in this land."

The Knight of the Underworld buried countless treasures in his tomb.

Among them were the weapons of his subordinates who followed him.

"The heritage of Tarim will be of great help in the birth of a new generation of heroes. Our Justice Guild will lead the way in the birth of heroes by helping Rumern."

"Are you not considering creating a new Hero Academy?"

"Is there a need for that? Rumern is a perfect Hero Academy."

Jerome shrugged.

Seeing Jerome like that, Chain opened his palm.

"Your juniors from your beloved alma mater might block your path."

A magic circle appeared on Chain's forehead as he closed his eyes.

"Clairvoyance?"

It was the unique magic of Chain Litna, the Vice Guild Master of the Justice Guild.

Jerome, who had been wearing a puzzled expression, was amazed by the distant scene Chain showed him.

There, a boy with white hair and red eyes was facing the knights of Pettiman.

A spark appeared in Jerome's eyes.

There was no one present who didn't know this boy.

He was an all-class like Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning.

And he had obtained the status of hero by helping Arion, the hero who reappeared in modern times, defeat the fragments of Erebus.

"Leo Flob."

Jerome smirked.

"My heart is pounding. I've always wanted to talk to Leo Flob."

"Why? Because he's famous?"

"No, he is chosen among the chosen."

Jerome smiled benevolently.

"I'm curious about what kind of sense of justice he possesses. I hope he'll join our guild."

"However, Leo Flob has refused all invitations to join guilds."

"I know."

After Chain's words, Jerome returned to his seat and fell into thought.

"Leo Flob will surely be a great hero. A true gem who reached this position on his own at a young age without anyone's help. But he is still young. He hasn't fully shone yet."

"Do you want to polish him further?"

"Yes."

Jerome nodded.

"He's at an age where it wouldn't be bad to know that the world is vast. Trials make heroes stronger."

"What does that mean?"

At Chain's words, Jerome smiled faintly.

"Leo Flob needs a baptism."

***

That night.

Guided by Baron Essiman, Leo was led to the encampment of the Carnel Kingdom army.

As students of Rumern, Leo and Lily received exceptional treatment.

"It seems the Kingdom of Carnel wants us to coordinate this war."

Lily said, chewing on the dried meat served for dinner.

Although they were doing their best to treat Leo and Lily well, this was the heart of a battlefield.

The food served was very rough.

Dried meat, hard rye bread, and warm soup.

And wine.

'A warm soup at this late hour is already exceptional treatment. The Kingdom of Carnel itself seems to be in a difficult situation.'

"You're eating well."

Leo said, watching Lily eat with discipline.

"A soldier must eat well when they can. Well, it might not suit Leo's taste."

Lily looked at Leo with a slightly worried expression.

It was the look one gives to a noble young master.

It wasn't contemptuous.

It was a look of pure concern for a junior.

In fact, it was common for Rumern students to find such meals unpalatable.

"I'm not particularly picky about food."

Leo dipped the rye bread in the soup and fell into thought.

"Can we intervene in this war or report it to Rumern?"

At Leo's question, Lily sighed deeply.

Then she poured wine into her cup and drank it like water.

Even though she drank the rather strong wine like water, she showed no signs of intoxication.

She exuded an aura that was more than hearty, it was tough.

'Wow, he's like a real man.'

Kiran exclaimed, only loud enough for Leo to hear.

"There will probably be no room for us to intervene."

"Why?"

"It is true that the Justice Guild is operating in the northeastern region war. I heard about it from my family during summer vacation."

Lily sighed deeply.

"Just as Rumern students shouldn't arbitrarily interfere in foreign wars, guilds shouldn't either. However, even if there's suspicion, it's hard to find concrete evidence."

"Hmm."

"Furthermore, from our perspective, Justice is not an enemy, but an ally."

Lily frowned.

"I don't know what they are aiming for in this northeastern region, but they won't do anything harmful to their allies. So, it's difficult to investigate the Justice Guild carelessly."

"You seem displeased."

"Of course! Leo! I hate politics! And this is the realm of politics!"

Lily, who was rarely seen, put on a stern expression.

For the upright and honest Lily, politics was likely not a pleasant element.

It was understandable, as it was difficult to call out wrongdoing in politics.

'I dislike that troublesome field too. Politics is the specialty of Lishinas and Dweno.'

"What is Justice aiming for?"

"I can't know either. The Guild Master of Justice is such an inscrutable person."

"What kind of person is he?"

"Jerome Cadmium. He is one of the three great heroes expected to carry the era, succeeding the Sword Saint Kaliyan."

"There are three candidates to succeed the former headmaster?"

"Leo, don't you usually read the newspaper?"

"No."

Seeing Leo look at her with disbelief, Lily gave a wry smile and drank her wine.

"He is a hero known by the epithet 'Light Seeker', an explorer of light. He is a man who aims to establish justice, fair and upright, like a saint."

"Justice?"

"Yes. His life's goal is justice. He is famous for not hesitating to use any means necessary to punish evil in the name of justice."

At those words, Leo narrowed his eyes.

"Somehow, he sounds incredibly shady."

"Why?"

"I've never met a decent person who loudly proclaims justice."

"Indeed, he's not a hero I particularly like either. He might be popular with the public… but some of the deeds he's accomplished are undoubtedly inhumane. Although they were all forgiven in the name of justice."

Lily sighed deeply and drank her wine.

She was no longer pouring it into a cup, but drinking directly from the bottle.

'I hope she doesn't have a bad drinking habit. She looks fine on the outside for now.'

Of course, she looked fine on the outside, but that didn't mean she wasn't drunk.

If she did things she wouldn't normally do when drinking, that would be considered being drunk.

Leo watched Lily for a moment, then looked up at the ceiling of the tent.

Lily, who had been drinking, also stopped moving and took the bottle away from her lips.

Leo stood up and clicked his tongue.

BOOOOM-!

A massive explosion occurred.

"What, what is it?"

"Attack! Attack!"

The Carnel Kingdom army fell into a panic due to the sudden explosion.

"Master Leo! Master Lily!"

It was then that Baron Essiman, who had rushed to the burning tent where Leo and Lily were, urgently called out to them.

WHOOSH-!

Flames distorted and converged into one spot.

The flames gathered in Lily's hand, which was not holding the wine bottle.

Lily looked up at the sky and said,

"A splendid surprise attack. I didn't detect it at all."

"As expected. You are the Student Council President and the third-year representative of Rumern. You suffered no damage."

A mage clad in robes in the air exclaimed.

Around him were four more figures.

"Who are you?"

The mage who attacked replied to Leo's question.

"We are Executors."

"Executors?"

"Yes."

The mage generated mana.

"We have come to execute justice."