I Became the Hero Who Banished the Protagonist chapter 32

32. Evernode (6)

Quenore realized something was coming from the forest. At the same time, the world in Quenor’s field of vision began to turn black and white and slow down. The crawler was charging at the same time from three directions. It could be stopped by immediately raising mana and firing Auras in all directions, but there was a possibility that the patrols would be swept away in the aftermath.

One of two options left to him. Either throw your body at the party of heroes, or block the crawlers from the front.

‘If I jumped backwards, the safety of the northern knights with me could not be guaranteed. But if you throw your body forward, it will be like leaving the party of warriors behind.’

In an instant, dozens of cases crossed each other in Quenore’s mind. Then, when an instant gap passed again, Quenore caught the warrior’s arm extending the holy sword. Quenore didn’t have time to be surprised, as he grabbed his sword and swung it at the crawler approaching from the front.

Keeek-!!

Quenore’s sword cut the body of one of the crawlers in half. Reese managed to block the approaching crawler attack, but the impact threw him off his horse and rolled on the ground. Quenore blew away the crawler that fell right on Reese’s head.

“-Jugong-!”

“Get your bearings, Reese. It’s not over yet.”

Quenore left Reese behind and rode towards the remaining crawlers. There are three left. Quenor raised his aura. The running crawlers seemed to measure the distance between them and the Aurors, and did not want to rush at them easily.

“If you guys won’t come, I’ll have to go.”

Quenore’s sword started from above. The crawlers ran in different directions, trying to disperse Quenore’s attacks. One big to the side, one big up, and one straight ahead. Crawlers spread out in perfect breath in an instant. That’s why they become much more dangerous monsters when they’re together than when they’re hunting alone, but-

“Something insignificant is performing tricks.”

It was of no use in front of Quenore.

squeak.

Quenor’s sword created three trajectories with a single slash. One was the neck of the crawler running sideways, and the other was pulled from the side, creating an arch that cut through the body of the crawler above. .

When the sword attack was completed, two of them were cut down on the spot and died, but one barely survived after giving up one of his arms. Crawler’s arms were bleeding, his leg muscles were contracting as if to back away-

Kwajik.

Just like that, Quenore’s thrust pierced his head. Crawlers rushing from the front were immediately eliminated. It didn’t take long to kill these guys, so a party of warriors should still be able to survive. Thinking so, Quenore turned his head backwards.

“Is the warrior party holding up well?”

At Quenore’s question, Reese nodded blankly and stretched out his hand in the direction from which the clamor of battle came. Quenore looked in the direction Reese was pointing, then widened his eyes in amazement.

“… You don’t seem to need any help.”

It wasn’t holding up well. The warrior party was driving the crawlers. Georg, a heavy warrior, raised his shield in front and blocked the attack, attracting the attention of the crawlers. In the meantime, a spear warrior named Marianne aimed for a gap with her elegant skills, and the wizard, Daphne, cleaned up the crawlers that had accumulated damage one by one with colorful magic. Just like that, the five crawlers quickly died one by one.

“… rather than that.”

Quenore looked up and looked at the hero who stood at the forefront of the hero party. Like Quenore, the hero was dealing with three crawlers at once.

Key Yiing-!!

A sharp scraping sound like tearing metal. The holy sword that the hero is proud of was shining brilliantly, scattering a light that Quenore had never seen before. The hero raised his holy sword and swung it at the rushing crawlers. The crawlers reacted particularly sensitively to the light of the Holy Sword and howled.

Quenore was dazed and lost his gaze to the light. It was broad daylight, but the light of the holy sword shone brighter than anything else around it. The light, which had a different texture from the auras of the knights, was so sublime and flawless that it made even the summer sun colorless. And, the figure of the hero wielding him was surprisingly upright and undisturbed.

that’s the light

Just as the darkness is driven away, as the dawn coming at the end of the night removes the veil of dusk, the fear of the ‘limit line’ was slowly fading from the heads of those who watched the brightest figure at the front of the ranks. Quenore realized deep down in his heart.

Perhaps, if it were a hero who had captured that light, he would be able to cross the limit and insert a dagger into the heart of a ‘giant’.

—

“[Keep your senses sharper.]”

The voice of the Holy Sword came. Following her words, I turned the mana even more vigorously and gritted my teeth. The mana pouring out of the holy sword that opened the first stage and the mana pumping out of the heart that was about to explode made her body move, almost straining her blood vessels.

“[My light will frighten those monsters and distract them. Illroy, do not try to dominate your body and move as it is.]”

Crawler was a monster that looked like a combination of a praying mantis and a grasshopper. It’s also annoying to run on those hind legs, but the scythe-like front legs that it wields are quick and sharp.

“[Come on, come on.]”

My eyesight is shaking. It felt like the time passing around me was slowing down. I pushed the holy sword forward, following the aura of mana that started from my heart and spread to the tips of my fingers.

Kwajijik.

The body of the crawler, who lost his temper and rushed at it, exploded. The movement of the sword was too great. One remaining next to me, and one running from behind. It might have been the idea of giving that one guy as bait and the other two trying to catch me.

Looking back, it’s too late.

I used the counter elasticity of swinging my sword forward and kicked off the ground and jumped up. The sword should not stop. The holy sword cut through the soil in the north and continued with one sword. Round and round, I rotated one full turn in the air and saw the crawlers dodging my sword strikes and charging again.

“[Accept it.]”

The Holy Sword’s advice was simple, and I faithfully followed it. With their backs against the trees, the angle at which the crawlers could attack was limited. One of them swung his forepaw wide. I tilted my head to let go of the attack, then kicked the one that lunged at me at the other one.

Kiek-!!

The crawler dodged the flying body of his comrade and swung his forepaw at me again. Skillfully, the blow was aimed at a time when I wasn’t ready to launch a sword strike. I raised my sword and blocked the crawler’s attack. And, the light from the holy sword literally burned the crawler’s paws.

Kiyi Iik-!

The crawler struggled in unexpected pain. I didn’t miss the time to get rid of him and then fixed my grip on the holy sword.

Tung-!

The moment the two monsters collided and became distracted, I let go of the blade of the holy sword held high by instinct. The sage emanating from the open holy sword aimed at the two crawlers like thunderbolts.

bang-!!!

The sword strike of the open holy sword could not cut the crawlers into pieces and annihilated half of them.

jump-!!

The aftermath tore the huge fir tree above them lengthwise. The twigs and leaves of the fir trees pouring down covered the bodies of the crawlers.

“done.”

I let out a sigh of relief and returned the holy sword to its true form. Now, the battle after activating the first stage was not that difficult. Looking back, the rangers, including the Archduke of Quenore, and our party were watching me as if we were watching a movie. It was a burdensome look. Come to think of it, this is the first time our party has seen me open the holy sword and fight.

“… Sorry for the late arrangement.”

I returned to my horse, kicking the corpses of the crawlers scattered about for no reason. When I came back, the guy bowed his head while making a toure. I stroked his hair and climbed back onto the horse. But the patrol kept looking at me without any intention of starting.

“Let’s go. If you stay here, you never know when you’ll be attacked again.”

Unable to see, I shook my head shyly and sighed. As soon as I started talking, I suddenly became the leader of them all. I slowed my horse down so Prince Quenor could take the lead again. Archduke Quenore approached me. He had been looking at me for a while. He seemed to be picking words out of his tightly shut mouth.

“Is that the power of you and the holy sword?”

At the difficult question, I shrugged. Archduke Quenore let out a laugh and nodded his head.

“yes. A warrior is not a warrior for nothing. I think I’ve been thinking wrong all this time. It may be that my eyes on the world have narrowed because I have been stuck in the north.”

“I couldn’t even defeat a monster as well as the Archduke.”

“There is a difference between simply having power and having something special, hero. It’s a mistake, but it’s a happy mistake.”

The Archduke was smiling bitterly.

“From now on, we will be able to include a party of warriors in our regular patrol team. If you do what you do today, the soldiers of Evernode will become your most ardent supporters, just like they always did.”

It was an embarrassing feeling. Well, I thought it would be nice if it would stop being hostile, but I’m not even going to become an ardent supporter.

“You will be busy in the future.”

“Shouldn’t we make sure to use the resources that came to help?”

“Didn’t you just say a few hours ago that you would ask the palace to reconsider my dispatch?”

Archduke Quenore burst out laughing.

“no. I said I would do it when you guys couldn’t reach my standards. If you have taken my words to heart, I will apologize. It was a mistake.”

When the Archduke said it teasingly, I frowned.

“… I am not a very petty person either. Of course, I know it’s to calm the soldiers’ dissatisfaction. Aren’t you pretending to be the villain?”

“It wasn’t even a great perversion to be called a villain. It’s the same as being mean to you by using the soldiers as an excuse. It must be seen as childish.”

A grand duke who speaks with self-help. I looked at him and opened my mouth in a stern tone.

“Since you came to Evernode to fight together, isn’t it natural to prove your qualifications?”

At my words, Archduke Quenor raised his eyebrows. Then, he changed his expression into a ferocious smile that matched those blue eyes and reached out to me.

“Then you seem to have just shown us your qualifications.”

I took the hand that Archduke Quenore held out. very tough and strong. The strength like the roots of an old tree was felt in the Grand Duke’s grip. I thought it was the steadfastness of those who had taken root in this land from a very long time ago.

“Welcome to Evernode, Hero Illroy.”

Well, did you pass the first task to stay in the North? I smiled and shook hands with the Archduke. Georg, who was giving a look of envy behind his back, tried to ignore it.

—

The night after the first patrol ended like that.

The afternoon sunlight, hardly even considered night, was seeping in through the blackout curtains. I asked the Grand Duke of Quenore for a quiet place for training, and the Grand Duke gladly cleaned up the storage outside the outbuilding and lent it to me.

And I think my expression standing in that tidy warehouse is probably the most wrinkled since I possessed it. The Holy Sword spoke to me in a stern voice.

“[Even if you don’t like it, there are things you have to do, Illroy.]”

Where did you hear that word?

“I know.”

I sighed deeply and nodded. In my hand, I held a wooden box with a solemn atmosphere. I hesitated several times while looking down at the wooden box, then quickly exhaled and opened the lid.

“… great.”

Inside the wooden box, a crown of thorns placed on a carpet was waiting for me.