I Became the Hero Who Banished the Protagonist chapter 30

30. Evernode (4)

“Before you can properly look inside the castle, you start to see the scenery outside the castle.”

As if answering my self-talk, the words purred and purred. I brushed the horse’s shoulder, put the saddle on it, and quickly climbed onto the horse. With me in hand, the patrol team in patrol area 1 finished their preparations. Me, Georg, Daphne, Marianne, the two soldiers of Evernod and the Archduke of Quenore. While the warrior party members were checking their equipment, the northerners were watching us prepare from outside the stable.

“Outside the outer city, it will be a different world from the way we have been on so far. You can think of it as the true face of the North from above.”

said Georg. Among his armaments, the most notable thing was, of course, a huge round shield. It is armed like a small castle wall hammered with rare metal. In her right hand, she was holding a Morning Star that matched that image.

“Perhaps there will be quite a lot of monsters you have never heard of or seen.”

“I guess so. Speaking of people you don’t see often in the capital, there are packs of white wolves, trolls, ravens, and wild greens. That deer will be hard to see, so even if you exclude it.”

As I explained the story smoothly, Georg widened his eyes in genuine surprise. For some reason, I think I was even more surprised than when Daphne awakened to magic or when I grabbed the holy sword and opened the first stage. I smiled when I saw that dumbfounded expression.

“The most dangerous ‘crawler’ should still be vigilant. With the Archduke of Quenore, I wonder if anything is dangerous, but in order to make a good impression on us, it’s right to be wary of such hidden dangers, right?”

Georg’s mouth opened even more. I feel really at a loss for words now.

“no… Illroy. Since when are you so detailed… . I don’t think I’ve ever told you such a detailed story.”

I shrugged and lightly kicked the horse’s side. I was so surprised that Georg’s eyes couldn’t keep up with my moving words.

“It’s a spirit of readiness.”

“… what.”

Georg was even showing an absurd laugh now. Daphne followed me beside me with a puzzled look on her face. He was wearing a winter coat with a fluffy hat.

“There are monsters I’ve never heard of before.”

“There are a lot of unique guys. There are people who need to be careful when dealing with them. Marianne, I have something to tell you, so would you like to come over here?”

I briefly explained to them the characteristics of northern monsters, how northerners hunt them, and what role we should play in this patrol. Both of them asked few questions, so they didn’t seem to care too much about how I got this information.

After giving the information to Daphne and Marianne, I called Georg, who was alone in the stable with a dazed expression. He said he has experience in dispatching to the North, so he’ll get along well with a few words. Georg shook his head vigorously, ready to take off his helmet, and rode behind me on his horse. As soon as Georg came out, Archduke Quenor did not hesitate to turn his head.

There was no time spent in the outer castle for inspection. As soon as they saw the Archduke coming, the soldiers rushed around and prepared to open the gate. The knight in charge of patrolling District 1 along with the Archduke ordered in an echoing voice.

“Open the gates!”

Without an hour’s delay, the grate began to slowly lift with a creak. I could see a single road going all the way through the bars that blocked my view. We rode horses after the Grand Duke who was leading the way.

The single road was connected to a gentle uphill as if it were connected to the road leading to the vast and flat plateau. The uphill seemed to be the lower jaw of a mountain that had been carved and flattened by blizzards and rainstorms over the years. When I turned my head to the left, I could see the mountain range drawing a high and low ridge. And all this stretched out in front of me was covered with a vast coniferous forest that hung a pitch black roof. Looking back, the fortress of Evernode felt like a boundary separating this landscape from the previous one.

“This is spectacular.”

I let out an unfiltered admiration. I was only thinking of the northern part covered in snow in the winter, but seeing the summer scenery with the snow melted came as a fresh shock. In the original story, it was winter when Arjen came to the North. The North is a greener place than I thought. I took a deep breath and inhaled the thicker northern air.

“[It’s been a while since I’ve seen this scenery again.]”

I also heard the impression of the holy sword. Was there a time when the holy sword was also active in the north before?

“[Is there any place in the world that I have not been to? The northern part of summer is no exception.]”

Sacred Sword seems to find this scenery very impressive to say with force in the expression of the northern part of summer. As I was admiring the panoramic view of the north with a blank expression, Grand Duke Quenore approached.

“People think Evernode is only made of snow and ice.”

The Archduke’s voice came. There was a sense of pride in his words.

“How many of them spent a whole year in the North?”

I just had to feel proud. I acknowledged it and shook my head. When I looked at my colleagues, they all had the same expression. Maybe if I looked in the mirror, I would have a similar expression now. The Archduke waited for me to see the scenery for a while and then set off again.

“Patrol Area 1 starts here.”

Where the coniferous forest begins. Archduke Quenore said, gesturing towards the forest leading inwards.

“The area is from here to where the limit line is barely visible. When you get to where you feel the limit line, mark the patrol area and see how close they are.”

Although it was a fact I already knew, I quietly listened to the words of the Archduke of Quenore.

“Check if there are any other abnormal phenomena, and thoroughly wipe out the monsters along the way.”

The Grand Duke made a brief announcement and was about to head straight for the forest, narrowing his eyes when he saw our formation. Rather than disapproving, it seemed to be puzzled, and ‘No way…’ ‘ as if to say. Yes, that’s right for what you think.

“Why are the heavy warriors with shields at the front of the ranks, and you and your spear warriors at the back? Wouldn’t it be reasonable to stand behind the wizard, at the rear of the ranks, to prevent being attacked?”

I shrugged.

“I would have done it if it was patrolling other areas, but this is the northern forest. Isn’t it natural to put the most agile at the back?”

“… The reason is that?”

I stared into the deep forest. The sky was clear and the sun was beating down, but the day was chilly and the forest ahead was deep and dark. When I watched the forest from a distance, it was just beautiful, but when I got closer, there was a creepy feeling that slowly climbed up my back.

“Be wary of ‘crawlers’. They are as powerful as gray bears, but more cunning than crows and faster than fleeing hares. And they usually follow their prey silently and then ambush them.”

I glanced at Daphne.

“To protect a mage who is vulnerable to surprise, it is best to place at least two people in the back line who can quickly respond to surprise. Area reconnaissance does not have to be done in the front line, and even heavy warriors can be trusted to keep an eye on the front.”

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No way, when what he said turned out to be true, the eyes of the Grand Duke of Quenore changed from doubt to surprise. After that, I quickly went back to being expressionless.

“… You know quite well.”

“I never wasted my adventurer life before becoming a hero.”

I didn’t read the novel carelessly, that’s what I mean. I enjoyed the reaction of the grand duke, who pretended to be calm.

“Start patrolling. Always keep an eye on your surroundings.”

Then, we headed into the forest that engulfed light and shadow.

—

When Quenore first started talking to the hero, Quenore thought it was surprising. It was because of his calm attitude and intelligent appearance, contrary to the rumors Quenore had heard while collecting information. And, when I mentioned the limit line, I was quite surprised. The northern limit line was quite famous, but not many people knew that it was approaching little by little.

‘No, but is it natural for a warrior to know this much information?’

But the surprise was short-lived. It may have been that he underestimated the hero in his heart after only hearing rumors in the first place. Even if he deliberately said something that touched his heart a little during the conversation, even if he did not restrain the sharply bristled soldiers, the hero let it go as if he already knew everything.

Quenore erased some rumors about the hero from his mind.

“To protect a mage who is vulnerable to surprise, it is best to place at least two people in the back line who can quickly respond to surprise. Area reconnaissance does not have to be done in the front line, and even heavy warriors can be trusted to keep an eye on the front.”

And the next day, to test what he would look like on the battlefield this time, the warrior who accompanied him on patrol prepared as if he had been on patrol many times. Even if they tried to move in a normal, stable formation, they would have skipped over it, but the type of patrol and risk factors are calculated and deployed thoroughly. A piece of abundant knowledge about monsters revealed in the process.

‘… He doesn’t seem like a person to belittle that much.’

Several rumors about the hero were erased from Quenore’s mind again. In addition, the rating of the hero has been adjusted upwards.

However, the true character of the hero did not end there.

“Hero, can you recognize that monster?”

“It’s a pack of white wolves. Georg has also spoken about it a few times. If it drags on for a long time, the group will gradually gather, so it’s better to get out quickly and take them down.”

And, the silver-haired woman who did not say a word at the command of the hero wiped out the white wolf group with a spear. The spearmanship was fast and powerful enough to surprise even Quenor.

Of course, the spearmanship was amazing, but the most unexpected thing was that the connection between the hero and his colleagues seemed quite deep. The way he discussed strategies with a heavy warrior named Georg, the way the wizard looked at the hero, and the spearman following the hero made me wonder if the conflict with the former colleague was purely due to the hero’s fault.

I got off my horse and looked around. The hero looked unnaturally at the fallen tree.

“A troll must have appeared nearby. The ground was wildly dug up, and a few intact trees fell down with broken trees. I think it would be better to proceed cautiously.”

It was correct. The warrior’s sharp eyes seemed to follow the trail. And, not long after the hero warned, a troll appeared and roared. Was this also the information I heard from that knight named Georg?

“… A troll appeared. Can you defeat it, hero?”

“I won’t give you an answer because I’ve told you before. Let me go.”

Without hesitation, the hero pulled out the holy sword and fired the new model. It didn’t seem to be as smooth and skillful as the spearman’s movements and spearmanship, but he easily fought the troll in a sufficiently efficient way.

It penetrates within the range of the troll swinging its arms wide, and pierces the joints of its relatively weak hind legs with a single sword. As the troll stumbled, the hero leaped onto the other leg and cut the troll’s ankle in half. It was a figure that changed the injured part so that the body could not be balanced.

The hero then jumped on the troll’s back as it howled and struggled. The blade of the holy sword was deeply embedded between the troll’s shell.

“More than I thought… .”

Is that not very strong? How many people can single-handedly deal with a troll like that without using an aura? And rather than the strength of a knight, that was closer to the strength of an adventurer based on intuition and experience. I don’t know if it’s enough to defeat the disaster and save the world, but it’s enough to move the hearts of the soldiers of Evernode.

“… Where the hell did all those rumors come from and why?”

The knight who came next to Quenor murmured.

“… That’s how it is.”

Slow-!

The sound of the blade cutting through the fabric resounded, and the troll’s head split in two.