Why was the Heavenly Archer here?
This was not Calderic’s territory, not the Third Lord’ territory, but Santea’s.
I couldn’t help but feel bewildered by this unexpected arrival.
Thump.
As if her legs gave out, Kaen sat down abruptly.
“What... What’s going on?”
No one knew what had happened.
The strike of the Heavenly Archer was so fast that it probably didn’t even register in our eyes.
A blue light flashed, and all we saw was the demon in front of us dying.
By the way, the destructive power was truly unbelievable.
Was it really possible for such a devastating attack to be launched from such a distant location? Seeing it in reality exceeded their imagination.
The attack that the Heavenly Archer had just unleashed was probably one of his ultimate skills in the game, called ‘Island Thunder’.
From the direction the sniper attack had come from, the forest evaporated as if a path had been cut through it, extending tens of meters back.
I looked back at the mountain peak where the Heavenly Archer should have been. But his figure was nowhere to be seen.
'Where did he go?'
Not long after, a figure quickly approached this direction.
I hardened my expression as the other approached.
“...!”
In the blink of an eye, the Heavenly Archer appeared in front of us.
The people, who were momentarily lost in their thoughts, looked at him in surprise.
The Heavenly Archer glanced around at the people, seemingly indifferent, and approached the spot where the demon had vanished.
In the place where the demon had disappeared, a single crimson gem was left behind.
The Heavenly Archer picked up the gem as if that was its purpose.
'That is...?'
I realized in hindsight that it was similar to the gem that trapped the souls of the people in the cave.
The Heavenly Archer, holding the jewel, turned his head towards me.
...This was dangerous.
Feeling a sense of crisis, I avoided the Heavenly Archer’s gaze.
The Heavenly Archer’s eyes were remarkably sharp, to the point where he could see through the polymorph of the Overlord, the only one among the Lords who could do so.
I hoped he didn’t recognize me.
The Heavenly Archer, who had been staring at me intently, finally opened his mouth.
“Seventh Lord...”
“Cough, cough! Cough!“
I coughed forcefully. Everyone’s attention turned towards me.
Please just pass by, please. Don’t say anything more!
Rigon, standing beside me, grabbed my arm.
“What’s wrong, Ran? Are you okay?”
“No, suddenly I feel a bit dizzy...”
I continued coughing desperately while glancing at the Heavenly Archer.
Then, the Heavenly Archer tilted his head and turned his gaze away from me.
Phew.
The figure of the Heavenly Archer disappeared. He had left.
I inwardly sighed deeply, feeling as if I had endured ten years of hardship.
***
After the ordeal, we returned to the place where the carriage was parked.
It was getting close to sunset, and the sky was turning a golden color.
Since it was becoming difficult to continue moving, we decided to camp there instead.
“What are we going to do?”
“I will ask the lord of Vibalte Territory for assistance. If we leave early, we should arrive by noon tomorrow.”
“Will the lord willingly take in the people?”
“It’s not a large number, and he will probably take them in if we explain the situation.”
Vibalte Territory was the next intermediate destination.
Yuz planned to leave the rescued people in the care of the lord there. It was not feasible to carry them all the way to their final destination, which was still far away.
“Don’t worry and rest a little, Miss. I will take care of the remaining tasks.”
Lea, with a tired expression, sighed while gazing at the flickering campfire.
“I still can’t stop trembling. What was that monster?”
“Perhaps it was a demon.”
“A demon?”
“Yes, given their strange appearance and alien mana, the only species that fit the description is a demon. And the group that we encountered was probably a group that worshipped demons.”
Finally, she understood.
I pushed Kaen, who was trying to rest her head on my leg, and listened to the conversation.
“Then who could have defeated that demon, Yuz? It was unbelievably strong.”
Yuz spoke with a serious expression.
“Miss, it would be better to only speak about today’s events to the Lordship.”
“Why? What do you mean?”
“I’m not certain, but I have an idea of who that man might be.”
Yuz glanced briefly at Rigon.
He nodded his head and spoke softly, “It’s probably true that it was the Third Lord. Although I haven’t personally seen him myself...”
Lea was taken aback, and her eyes widened.
Yuz spoke up, seemingly convinced by Rigon’s words. “The Third Lord of Calderic was chasing a demon in the realm of Santea. It’s a miracle that everyone survived this incident. We don’t know why he let us go so easily...”
Kaen interjected abruptly, raising her head. “Wasn’t it because of Rigon? Earlier, the Third Lord seemed to be looking in Rigon’s direction.”
Technically, it wasn’t Rigon. It was me.
Lea glanced at me briefly. Why was she bothering me again?
“Rigon is on the side of the Seventh Lord. So, he simply spared us,” Lea said.
“Well, the Third Lord wouldn’t recognize my face, anyway...”
Rigon tilted his head and asked Kaen, “Speaking of which, Kaen, what was that golden sword energy earlier? You were hiding something extraordinary.”
Everyone’s gaze focused, curious about the question.
Kaen scratched her head and let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know either. Suddenly, I felt a surge of power in my body. Then it disappeared just as quickly.”
“What? What was that?”
“I really don’t know. Maybe an immense hidden potential within me exploded in a moment of crisis?”
I had been thinking about the power of the holy sword that Kaen used earlier.
If the hero hadn’t returned to the Holy City, I could have received some news about any changes in the Holy Sword.
“...”
I stood up from my seat. No one paid any attention to me.
Leaving by myself like this would seem like I was about to take care of that kind of ‘business’.
When Yuz saw that, he got up to join me.
“I will keep an eye on things for you.”
“Oh, it’s okay.”
“There might still be enemies in the forest. It’s dangerous to be alone.”
“It’s really okay. It’s just that, it’s a big one. I’ll be right back.”
Kaen and Rigon chuckled. Really, did it have to come to this extent...
Shaking off Yuz, I walked away from the campsite and back into the depths of the forest.
I found a suitable spot and came to a stop, then opened my mouth.
“Come out, Third Lord.”
A chilly breeze blew through the quiet forest.
A tree nearby rustled, and a person jumped down from it. It was the Heavenly Archer.
Without lowering my guard, I kept my gaze fixed on him and asked.
“What’s the matter? Why are you following me?”
I sensed with my [Super Sensory] that the Heavenly Archer, whom I thought had already left, had been lingering around.
The only reason I could think of was that because I was here, so I came to a place where I could talk to the other alone.
The Heavenly Archer stared at me intently without saying a word and asked.
“Seventh Lord, what are you doing in Santea? It seems like you’re hiding your true identity.”
“It’s a personal matter. I’d rather you didn’t take an interest.”
There was no reason for him to attack me suddenly, but he was such an unpredictable person that I couldn’t let my guard down.
Surprisingly, the Heavenly Archer nodded obediently.
“Okay, got it. Actually, I’m not interested.”
“Then what’s the matter?”
“I have something I want to ask you.”
After saying that, the Heavenly Archer pulled out a jewel from his bosom. It was the gem he had taken from the dead demon earlier.
The Heavenly Archer threw the gem at me. I accepted it while hiding my confusion.
“The Fourth Lord told me once, Seventh Lord, that you have the ability to completely annihilate a soul.”
It was the Fourth Lord who helped me realize the exact mechanics of my [Instant Kill] ability.
The Third Lord seemed to have heard about it from him as well.
“...And so?”
“Then is it possible to annihilate the souls trapped within that gem?”
Of course, it was possible. I had done it earlier in the cave.
I asked, looking at the wailing souls inside the gem.
“It’s possible. But why are you making this request?”
“I won’t take an interest in your affairs either. So I hope you won’t take an interest in mine.”
“What nonsense. Who is the one making the request now? Are you asking me to help you without any reason?”
Of course, since it was a trivial matter, I could simply grant the request. However, it’s still important to appear like a ‘Lord’.
It wasn’t a matter of pride; it was a matter of standing, of losing a war of nerves with another Lord.
The Heavenly Archer scratched his head as if he found it bothersome and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, fine. Then if I tell you the reason, you’ll grant my request?”
“Naturally, I will listen and decide.”
“One of the souls trapped there is my younger cousin.”
Cousin? What did that mean?
“What does that mean? Did that demon guy harm your family?”
“That guy wiped out one of the strongholds in my territory. The commander there was my younger cousin.”
“...So, did you come all the way here chasing after that guy?”
“Yeah.”
The Heavenly Archer nodded.
“As you can see, the trapped souls have become completely intertwined, making it impossible to undo. If I destroy it, I don’t know where the mass of souls will scatter, and I don’t have the ability to cleanly eliminate souls, either.”
So, it was a request to me, asking for help in alleviating the suffering of his younger cousin.
Understanding the situation, I immediately activated my [Instant Kill]. The souls in the gems vanished cleanly.
Since they would have been victims of the demons anyway, I had no strange reason to refuse the request.
If I were to negotiate with conditions, it could have further provoked the Heavenly Archer.
“It’s done.”
The souls vanished completely from the gem, which I tossed to the Heavenly Archer.
The Heavenly Archer, who caught the gem, nodded with a slightly bitter look in his eyes.
“They vanished cleanly. Thank you. I’ll leave this as a debt.”
I spoke to the Heavenly Archer as he turned away.
“I hope you’ll consider our encounter today as if it never happened.”
“Yeah. I never intended to talk about it in the first place.”
And the Heavenly Archer’s figure disappeared.
I sighed and moved toward the campsite.
***
“Ran, are you feeling refreshed?”
“Shut up.”
Lea glanced at Ran, who had returned to his seat, with a trace of hesitation.
She still harbored doubts about Ran.
The more she thought about it, the stranger things seemed.
What happened at the semester exams, what happened in the carriage, what happened in the cave battle.
Even when they were about to be killed by the leader of those villains, Ran had still cursed and taunted him.
If he had always been such a person, she wouldn’t have been surprised, but Ran’s usual demeanor was indifferent, far from such a personality.
To Lea’s eyes, his behavior seemed as if Ran didn’t feel any danger or crisis in those dire situations.
It was the same when they escaped from the cave.
She had clearly seen himself crushed by the rocks, and yet he had emerged unharmed.
Those suspicions were almost confirmed with the appearance of the demon and the Third Lord of Calderic.
Kaen said that the Third Lord was looking at Rigon, but she saw it clearly.
Ran interrupted the words of the Third Lord and exchanged some kind of glance with him.
And then the Third Lord immediately left and vanished.
Lea came to a conclusion after much contemplation about Ran’s true identity.
Ran must be the ‘secret escort’ assigned to Rigon by the Seventh Lord of Calderic.
'...I’m sure of it.'
He hid his true abilities and seemed to have some connection with a Lord of Calderic.
Moreover, now that she thought about it, Ran and Rigon shared the same dormitory room. Everything fit perfectly.
What if Rigon was more important to the Seventh Lord than they thought?
There was no way he would have left any safeguards in place when he sent Rigon to Santea.
Yeah, it was strange all along. He was definitely not an ordinary person.
Lea nodded her head, feeling a little refreshed by her deduction.
