〈 Chapter 63 〉 Saint City Hailen
*
500 years abandoned outside the barrier.
Once a road connecting Sakh and Saint City Hailen, only traces of it remained as a specially processed wagon rolled along.
Inside that wagon were five heroes and me, bound hand and foot.
‘So this is how it ended up?’
I had killed two demon lords, Libero and Gineus.
And I was immediately discovered by the Church’s heroes at the scene.
‘Escorted to the church city…’
It was actually a good thing.
In the case of the 71st demon lord, I had killed him so swiftly that my identity wasn’t revealed. But this time was different.
They must have been monitoring Libero and Gineus with some means.
‘Then they must have grasped my existence too.’
Whether they could connect it to the 71st demon lord was uncertain.
But just the fact that I had killed two demon lords was more than enough to make me a threat in their eyes.
Especially since I was still just a boy who hadn’t fully matured, they would likely go to great lengths to kill me.
Thus, heading towards Saint City Hailen with such elite heroes was, in a way, the best scenario for me.
Saint City Hailen was the safest place from the demon lords.
It had the largest and sturdiest barrier, where even formidable demon lords couldn’t exert any power.
Additionally, it was known as the city of heroes, so the sheer number of heroes was overwhelmingly high compared to other cities.
‘But it’s not all advantages in going to the church city.’
For one, heading to the church city meant I would be under the Church’s surveillance. It would make it impossible for me to act freely, like meeting another demon lord like Libero.
And my treatment was also a concern. I would need to see what would happen once we arrived at the church city, but my position was quite ambiguous as it stood.
‘It can’t be helped.’
In the end, this was how it had to be.
There was a limit to operating without being registered as a hero.
In fact, had I registered as a hero earlier, it wouldn’t have been too late.
The benefits of being registered as a hero were more numerous than I had expected.
The only reason I hadn’t been able to register was because of Libero.
‘Libero…’
Just as I was recalling him…
“Hey, kid.”
It was the archer.
Of course, this was someone I also recognized.
She was a high-ranked hero, Ludmilla, whom I had met along with Gwen while heading to a trial.
“Do you know me?”
Of course I knew her.
She was High-Ranked Hero Ludmilla.
But I chose not to answer.
“Did you forget? Well, whatever. What I’m curious about isn’t that.”
She started asking me questions on her own.
“That sword was probably given to you by Gwen. But there’s no way you caught a demon lord with just a 2-star relic. What the hell did you do?”
There was no reason for me to answer that.
Well…
“Ludmilla.”
Stella interjected to Ludmilla’s question.
“Not here. We can’t know whose ears may be listening. The only place this boy can reveal the truth is in the High Priest’s room.”
She was right.
Conversations outside the barrier ran the risk of being overheard by the demon lords.
In fact, it was similar even inside the barrier, and the only place that could be considered absolutely safe was the High Priest’s room.
“…Understood.”
Ludmilla accepted that suggestion without hesitation.
After a while, the wagon finally arrived at Saint City Hailen.
In fact, compared to coming via the gate through Basilium, this was much faster.
‘Is that the barrier of Saint City Hailen?’
Unlike any other barrier, the barrier of Saint City Hailen had a transparent color.
However, it seemed to be enchanted with some sort of magic, as the interior was not visible.
I could only see the interior once we crossed into the barrier.
‘This is a bit beyond my expectations.’
The scenery of Saint City Hailen was completely different from the Basilium or Sakh I had previously visited.
Starting with the size of the city, buildings were densely packed in every direction.
If Basilium had seen this view, it would never have crossed their mind that Basilium was a city.
And the highlight of the scenery was the towering spire that rose in the center of the city.
Beneath that spire was a huge structure that looked like a temple, built from white stone.
If Basilium had an exotic rural feel and Sakh had an Eastern steampunk vibe, Saint City Hailen felt like an advanced Mediterranean civilization.
Noticing that it was my first time in Hailen, Stella remarked.
“It’s not called the greatest and last city of humanity for nothing, you know?”
Unlike before, her voice was quite bright and cheerful.
Knowing she was one of the few saint-level heroes, I already understood that this was her original personality.
She began to give a brief explanation about Hailen.
How refugees from all over flocked to Hailen during the chaotic times.
And that the stone buildings built during that time still remained to this day.
While she talked, the wagon entered the main street of Hailen.
The street seemed to lead directly to the massive temple in the center.
“I’ll let the sightseeing end here.”
Stella pulled down the curtain of the wagon that she had half-raised.
As a result, darkness filled the wagon once more.
“I would usually wave to the outside world, but today we have a walking secret, so…”
The wagon ascended the slope along the main street before finally coming to a stop at its destination.
Stella pulled out a hooded cloak from the cargo area.
It was a cloak that resembled the one Gwen had worn before.
“Put this on before you get off.”
As I took it, she said.
“It’s a special operation cloak enchanted with recognition-decreasing magic. Of course, how I intend to use it is up to me.”
It looked a little different from Gwen’s.
I put on the cloak and pulled down the hood.
I had no way of knowing if the recognition reduction worked.
“Follow me.”
I followed them into what looked like a reception room.
After waiting in the reception room for a while, Stella, as the representative, stepped out.
Thus, I was left in the reception room with the other heroes, excluding Stella.
“Hey.”
It was Ludmilla.
She spoke to me as soon as Stella disappeared.
“What’s your name?”
The reason behind her interest in me was obvious.
She was still searching for her successor.
Unfortunately, I was not skilled in archery.
And…
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you my name.”
I looked around at the heroes.
“I know it’s rude to say, but I can’t easily trust people I’ve never met before.”
How many spies from the demon lord side could there be among the heroes and the Church?
I could swear there were enough for me to count on both hands.
The knowledge of the player was telling me that.
‘That means I can’t trust these people.’
Then the knight, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, snapped.
“Are you looking at us like we’re just ordinary heroes?”
He rose from his seat.
“Except for that guy over there, everyone here is high-ranked.”
He pointed to a recovering hero crouched in the corner.
Just as I was about to tell him that being high-ranked didn’t mean there were no spies around…
“Enough.”
It was the tank role hero, who had been quietly listening.
His heavy armor added to his imposing presence.
“The boy is right. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone who lives long among those who run their mouths easily.”
At his heavy words, the knight sat back down.
At that moment…
“What’s with the atmosphere?”
Stella, who had gone to report back first, returned.
She scanned our mood.
“Hmm…”
But soon shook her head and added.
“It’s nothing. Anyway, there’s that boy.”
She pointed at me.
“High Priest wants to see you.”
Honestly, I expected that.
Capturing two demon lords wasn’t something that would just end with a report.
The escort to this place was not merely for protection; it was to determine my treatment as well.
‘But, they aren’t going through an apostle meeting, huh?’
That was a relief.
I suspected there would be at least one spy from the demon lord side there, too.
Going directly to the High Priest seemed to indicate that she had made a sound judgment.
‘Still, I’m a bit anxious.’
The High Priest was someone who had always been treated with mystery even in the game.
When I had first seen the scenery of Saint City Hailen, I couldn’t help but admire it. I could only imagine what the High Priest must be like.
“Saint-level hero Stella stands before you with the boy who defeated the demon lord.”
Then a voice came from within.
“Come in.”
The door opened, revealing the interior of the High Priest’s room.
Surprisingly, there was no decoration whatsoever in the room.
It was purely a pure white room made of white stone.
At the end of the room, she sat.
‘The High Priest.’
The thin, pure white cloth barely concealed her exquisite figure.
Without a doubt, she was a beautiful sight for anyone to see.
But beyond that, an inexplicable aura of mystery emanated from her.
‘What on earth is that?’
Even the player’s memory had no information about her existence.
She merely led people and established Saint City Hailen, and afterward, organized the Church and led the heroes.
But what was certain was that she essentially held my future in her hands.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you again. Saint-level hero Stella.”
Stella knelt and bowed her head before the High Priest.
I followed her lead.
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Pathfinder Allen Pleuk.”
From now on, there was nothing to hide.
Unlike my meeting with Gwen.
If I knew very little about my counterpart, being as honest as possible was the best course of action.
‘Though I have some plans in mind.’
I had ample time while riding in the wagon to make adjustments and review my future strategies.
“I’ll allow you to lift your head.”
I lifted my head at her command.
And met her gaze beyond the veil.
‘My immediate fate might hinge on whether I can save the Raym Kingdom or not.’
I needed to steer the conversation in the direction I had planned as best as I could.
“Pathfinder, that is quite remarkable. Is it true that you killed two demon lords?”
“Indeed. And there’s one more thing I’d like to mention.”
It was time to reveal what I had been holding back.
“I was the one who killed the 71st demon lord too.”
*
