The False Hero, Volume 12, Chapter 7

Chapter 7

----- Lutz -----

“Come to pick up your princess?” The voice of a small child echoes around the Egyptian-like temple. “I suppose I shall grace you with my company!”

“I’ve been around enough princesses to know one on sight.” I look the young nine-tail foxgirl up and down. “But for some reason, you’re not checking the required boxes.”

“I can be a princess if I wish it! I’m the only one of my race, so who’s going to stop me?” Kiah nods from atop her throne of worship.

“A princess today, a deity tomorrow. What a convenient world you live in.”

“One of the many benefits of being an Immortal Being! Something you’ll come to realize one day, as well.”

Although she’s powerless in her current immature state, when Kiah reaches 50 years old, she’ll regain her full strength. It’s hard to believe, but she’s considered the second strongest Immortal Being amongst the original six, behind only the Dragon Lord.

Unfortunately for her, it’s useless to try and gain levels because her stat growth is currently zero. That’s why Kiah needs her Battle Maidens, the group of foxgirls who guard her while she’s vulnerable in order to receive the Immortal Beings protection after her power returns.

It’s also why I’m not here to pick up Kiah. It’d be dangerous for her to go to a dungeon, and there’s no benefit to doing so when she’ll naturally regain her strength in less than a decade.

No, I’m here for someone else.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine without me?” Rin asks.

“Don’t worry about us old ones.” The 10,000 year old little girl waves her hand with an innocent smile. “Go have fun with your friends.”

“Friends?” Rin looks to me.

“They’re eager to see you, of course,” I say. “It’s a rare event since you’re always stuck by this girl’s side.”

“I guess a short visit would be … fun.” Rin seems surprised by her own words.

As the primary guardian, Rin spends most of her time protecting their deity, Kiah. She’s spent her whole life training to earn her position, leaving little room for other hobbies or desires.

When Kiah was kidnapped, Rin made a journey into the human lands to rescue her. Perhaps that adventure broadened her horizons because she’s showing interest in something other than her job.

“It’ll just take a few hours to run through both the dungeons. We’ll only be fighting the bosses that are worth it for us, which means skipping most of the floors since they don’t even give me experience points anymore.”

“I understand. Then as promised, I shall accompany you to the dungeons.”

“Sweet! Even if you won’t be fighting at the final battle, you will be showing up there at the end. It’ll be good for you to be strong enough to protect Kiah against Archfiend-class opponents.”

“I’m still against going there at all…” Rin looks to the immature Immortal Being who’s as strong as her child-like form indicates. “There’s nothing she can do, even if we go.”

“I can be useful!” Kiah puffs out her chest. “There’s such a thing as moral support, you know! If I cheer them on, I’m sure everyone will fight even harder!”

“Let’s face it,” I say. “All the other Immortal Beings are going, so there’s no way Kiah will be the only one to miss out.”

“Precisely!” Kiah nods proudly.

“I suppose it’s fortunate, then,” Rin says, “that the Immortal Beings only promised to join on the condition that you unlock one of your unique abilities.”

“My final Heroic Skill,” I say. “Everything hinges on it.”

Although the Immortal Beings refuse to help in the battle, they did make one promise. If I’m able to unlock my final Heroic Skill, they will join my side of the war.

It may seem selfish of them, but to be honest, I would make the same decision if I were in their position. They understand better than almost anyone else just how hopeless our efforts are without it. Even they can’t stand up to that mad god, not as long as he controls most of the Mana Network.

But at the very least, Kiah is preparing for the moment she officially joins us. Otherwise, she wouldn’t bother sending Rin along to level her up.

“Well, time’s not exactly on our side, so we should get going. We’ve still got to pick up one more member before we start the grind.”

“How long until the battle?” Kiah asks.

“At the rate the army of Chaos is marching, we have three days.”

“Is that enough time for you?”

“No, but I’ll have to make it work somehow. I’ve got a few aces of my own, and I don’t plan to make it easy for that mad god to win.”

“Let us pray that you are able to overcome the obstacles still standing in your path, for if he were to gain absolute power…”

“Yeah, calling it catastrophic would be an understatement.”

There’s nothing we can do except keep working towards our goals, the next being picking up the final member of our dungeon party.

“I’ll have your daughter back before sundown.” I wave to Kiah.

“Keep her a little longer, if you wish it.” She waves back.

“What is going on?” Rin doesn’t quite understand.

Just before I cast [Teleport], the scenario I dreaded when coming here begins to play out.

“He’s here!” The voice of another Battle Maiden reaches us here, inside Kiah’s temple. “I can smell him!”

“Oh, my.” Kiah shows us a devious smile. “Liz has a better nose than I thought.”

“Gah.” I recall the face of the foxgirl warrior Liz, who’s been clear about exactly what she wants from me. “I’m weak against her kind, so forgive me for running away before she finds me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll give her all kinds of details about you while you’re off with Rin. I’m sure she’ll find my story very … enticing.”

“Devils. All of the Immortal Beings are actually devils in disguise.” I shake my head. “I’m out.”

The inside of Kiah’s temple vanishes, replaced by darkness.

When light returns, it’s far brighter than before the teleportation. The clear, midday sky stretches out before us, rising over the craggy hillside where we hid our teleportation circle.

The air is heavy with the taste of salt, a clear sign that the ocean is near. Although we’re still in the beastkin country of Belfast, we warped from one end to the other, from the mountainous and isolated land where Kiah lives, to a lively port city on the southern coast.

“That ocean breeze will always be so satisfying.” I take a long breath.

“I much prefer the air around me to be scentless. Makes it that much easier to detect danger.” Rin’s mind goes right back to how best she can do her job as Kiah’s guardian.

“Well just enjoy it while you’re off duty, at least.” I point to the east. “The city is that way.”

The walk is a short one, all things considered. But we had to at least hide the teleportation circle far enough that it wouldn’t be found easily. I did my best to hide it as well, but you can never be too sure who might happen across it if I were to just put it in the middle of the city.

With our speed, we manage to close the gap in record time, using our detection abilities to avoid any potentially annoying groups of soldiers or adventurers along the way.

Before we know it, we’re standing in front of our destination.

“This will be fun.” I push open the Mariner Guild’s door.

Stepping inside with confidence, I check the place out. As expected, the same guild employee is standing behind the counter. He always gave me the stink eye when I was coming and going, but he’s not giving it to me today.

His eyes are doing something, though. They’re widening. Slowly, as if he’s gradually coming to some terrifying conclusions.

But I didn’t come here to see that nameless guild employee.

“Heya.” I wave to another man, one sitting at a table with a pint of ale in his grasp. “Been a while, Wulf.”

“R-Rune!?” The eyepatched man, Wulf, takes another swig of his ale, shakes his head, then stares at me again. “By the Goddess, you’re actually here!”

“I’m real, at least by most standards anyway.” I shrug. “Anyway, let’s get you ready first. [Restore].”

The Light Magic spell cleanses Wulf’s debuffs in an instant. He didn’t have any magic affecting him, but drunkenness is also classified as a debuff, so it can be cured easily with [Restore].

“H-hey!” Wulf looks at his half empty pint of ale. “I worked hard to get that drunk!”

“Is that really the important part here?” I motion to the guild employee behind the desk, who’s now holding a sword and is backing his way through the door that leads to the guild’s restricted back rooms.

“That’s right!” Wulf stands from his chair. “You betrayed us, Rune! Not long ago, weren’t you trying to destroy the Dragon Slayers!? How can you just walk in here like nothing happened!?”

“Well, I understand your sentiment. But this kind of situation has become normal for me, so I don’t really have any strong feelings about coming back here.” I leave out the fact that I’m actually enjoying it quite a bit.

“You think it’s normal to just walk into a place where you had such a huge battle? You were always a strange one, Rune, but even I didn’t expect something like this!”

I point to the open door that leads to the guild’s back rooms. “You may not have expected us to return, but he did.”

Wulf follows my finger. “Who…?”

Just then, the guild employee returns, looking as if he can’t decide if he wants to be scared or confused. Can’t blame the guy, considering he got sent back here after going to inform the guild master about our arrival.

“What’d he say?” I ask the guild employee.

“T-the guild master … wants to see you.” The man looks like he can hardly believe his own words.

“I figured. He always seemed like a man who doesn’t let the little things get to him.”

“Little things?” Wulf takes another swig of his ale. “Like fighting the whole Dragon Slayers guild and three of the strongest members of Belfast’s army?”

“It’s all about perspective. Compared to my battles against the Archfiends and whatnot, a band of adventurers and a few elite members of the military is just a training exercise.”

“I’d call anyone crazy after hearing them say that, if I weren’t there to see you summon dragons powerful enough to ravage this entire city.”

“Oh, that. It was really cool, huh? I need to do something like that again.”

Even though I basically attacked this guild the last time I was in the city, the members here simply watch on as I step past the counter and into the restricted back rooms.

The guild employee doesn’t seem to want anything to do with me, as evidenced by the fact that he stays behind instead of leading us to the guild master. Wulf takes that role instead, though it’s less that he’s leading us and more that he’s just the one in front.

“Guild Master!” He bursts through the thick, wooden door, throwing it open hard enough that it makes a loud thud when it hits the doorstop. “What the hell’s going on here!?”

“Of course you’d come along with them, Wulf.” The guild master puffs on his pipe. “And bring the stench of drink stronger than the ocean’s waves with ya.”

“Who cares about that! Don’t you see who just came here!?”

“You reek of it, but you’re sober, aren’t ya? Doubt you used [Restore] on yourself, though.” The guild master looks to me. “Finally showed up, did ya? Coming and going like a storm on the open seas, where sailors can only shelter against it as best we can.”

“That’s a little harsh,” I say. “But I can’t argue against it, either.”

“Well? How about an introduction for the misses?”

“I picked Rin up before coming here.” I motion to my ever-silent, fox-eared companion. “Now I’ve come to get someone else.”

“Hello.” Rin gives him the bare minimum greeting.

“Always another one with you, every time you stop by.” He takes another toke, but the smoke never reaches us. “Knew you’d ask for something next time you showed up, but I didn’t expect it’d be a person. With the Dragon Slayers disbanded, I don’t need him anymore, so if you want him, you can take him.”

“Awesome. I’ll give him something to do other than hang around here and bother you.”

“Won’t that be a relief.”

Wulf looks between us. “What are you two talking about? Who’s going where?”

“Wulf.” The guild master ashes his pipe, then starts refilling it. “You ever felt thankful that you were at least born with a strong body?”

“I guess so. Better to be strong than weak, right? Are you saying I’m really a lucky person and don’t know it?”

“No, you’re missing too much of the other half to really be called lucky.” He takes another puff. “And depending on who this young man really is, you might not be thanking your lucky stars soon enough.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Wulf looks around, still confused.

“I’m saying you’re the one who he came to pick up, you absolute buffoon.”

“What!?” Wulf’s one good eye goes wide as he turns it to me. “There’s no way you came here to get me, right!?”

“Actually,” I say. “That is exactly why I came here.”

“Wait a minute! You still haven’t told me what’s going on! How can Rune come in here and demand anything, Guild Master!?”

“That’s just how it is, Wulf.” The guild master shakes his head.

“It’s alright,” I say. “You can tell him about it.”

“Hmm. If you were planning to tell him anyway, then I guess it’s fine.” He sits back in his chair. “Got a missive not long after that battle, sent by His Majesty, King Kuro. Told me the one who calls himself Rune is to be treated as a noble of the highest rank. Even went so far as to order me to offer help, if he asked. Didn’t think he’d come asking for you, though.”

“From the king!?” Wulf’s widened eye somehow grows larger. “No, wait! Why would someone who fought our own soldiers be protected by the king!?”

“That’s a simple answer,” I say. “You see, Rune isn’t my real name, as shocking as I’m sure that bit of news is for the two of you. I actually go by Lutz, though you probably know me better as the False Hero.”

“The False Hero!?” His eye seems to have reached its maximum size limit, but the extra surprise he feels is clearly displayed by his expression.

“Well I’ll be damned.” The guild master takes another puff, seemingly unconcerned. “Those rumors were true?”

“Not sure which rumors you heard,” I say. “But the former heroes are working for Chaos, and I’m leading the new group of heroes. It’s pretty much as simple as that.”

“No wonder you were able to sink the Dragon Slayers. Like I said, he’s yours. Just don’t let him get his hands on any drinks in the morning if you want him to be worth more than a cup of saltwater.”

“You’re okay with it!?” Wulf still hasn’t recovered from the shock.

“The world’s done gone to hell in every other way, so why can’t they just change heroes? A captain might not command the same ship forever.”

“Just ride the wave,” I say. “Or some other such ocean metaphor.”

“Leave those to me, son.”

And so, with Rin and Wulf obtained, we [Fast Travel] directly to our first destination, a pyramid-shaped dungeon, The Pallid Tomb.