< Chapter 28 - The Returnee >
Chapter 28 – The Returnee
Uther and Cordelia entered one of the empty rooms near the entrance, searched the area thoroughly, and then took a seat in a corner.
It was a somewhat hidden place, not directly visible from the room entrance, behind a large fallen stone pillar.
“Should I wake you up now?”
As Uther nodded to the soft question, Cordelia immediately placed her hand on Kaplan’s forehead, who had fainted.
“Awake.”
“Cough!”
As soon as the weather spell was cast, Kaplan opened his eyes in a flash and let out a breath.
“Huh! Where is this?! A snake? A monster?!”
“Uder and I caught him. So calm down. It’s safe here.”
As Cordelia smiled softly and spoke in a soft tone, Kaplan swallowed dry saliva and nodded.
“Are you feeling calmer?”
“Yes, calm down. Okay, that’s enough.”
As Kaplan nodded, his face slightly red, Yuder, who had been watching quietly, intervened.
“Ahem, Lord Kaplan.”
“Mr. Yuder. No, Lord Yuder.”
“You can just call me Yuder-kun.”
“Then, Yuder.”
Kaplan was somehow restless.
I thought he was embarrassed by Cordelia’s beauty that transcended races – but that was only Uther’s personal opinion – but it seemed like there was something else going on.
“King Kaplan?”
When Cordelia asked, tilting her head, Kaplan clenched his fists, took a few deep breaths, and then made up his mind.
He spoke as if he were lying flat on his stomach, as if he were apologizing for his mistake.
“It’s all my fault.”
As soon as I came down to the basement, I encountered a powerful monster.
Moreover, it was Kaplan himself who discovered the way down underground.
Cordelia just smiled and said she caught it, but it was clear it wouldn’t have been easy.
Perhaps a fight to the death had unfolded.
“I’m so sorry. I’m really, really sorry.”
It was because of Kaplan himself.
Because wherever Kaplan himself went, things like this always happened.
Kaplan thought, desperately apologizing.
What if even Cordelia and Uther start to hate him?
Even though the two of them had hearts as beautiful as angels, in the end they were still people.
‘It might be better to break up like this.’
Because I didn’t think I could stand hearing from Cordelia that she didn’t want to be with him anymore, or that it was really because of Kaplan himself.
‘Let’s break up.’
Let’s move separately.
That’s better.
That’s the right thing to do.
so-
“It’s okay, it’s not Kaplan’s fault.”
Kaplan flinched. He couldn’t help but flinch.
Cordelia’s voice was the same as last time. No, it had become even kinder.
“but······.”
“Cordelia is right.”
Uder lifted Kaplan up and looked him straight in the eye.
Eyes wide open and scared.
Yet, the childlike eyes that cannot give up their anticipation of favor toward themselves.
‘Is that so?’
Even Uder could now tell.
Kaplan, who appears in the middle of Hero Chronicles 2, was always smiling, but was never one to open his heart.
It was possible to forcefully follow someone as if stalking them, but it was impossible to make them your companion.
Because the wounds were repeated.
It was because I closed my heart because I didn’t want to get hurt anymore.
A man who always pretends to be bright and fakes a smile, but inside he is rotten and empty.
But not yet.
Kaplan’s future could have been changed now.
‘Of course… it could be unnecessary interference.’
But even so,
‘And one more thing.’
Uther glanced back at Cordelia. Her gaze toward Kaplan was filled with melancholy.
So I had to say it.
Kaplan’s heart had to be protected, if only for Cordelia’s sake.
“Is Lord Kaplan a god?”
“yes?”
“He is literally a god.”
“That···disaster god······.”
“That’s not it. A real god. Or someone with god-like abilities.”
Kaplan shook his head at Uder’s serious question.
“no.”
“Yes, Kaplan is just an ordinary dwarf. No, he is special in that he is a tenured professor at the Academy at such a young age… but he is still just a dwarf.”
It was never meant to be derogatory.
It was a listing of facts.
“He is not a god. He may have good or bad luck, but that is all. Does Lord Kaplan create monsters? Does he summon monsters that did not exist before? No, he does not. That is impossible. Lord Kaplan is not a god, but a dwarf. He just faced monsters that were there all along.”
Kaplan bit his lip. A faint smile appeared on Uder’s face.
“It’s not Lord Kaplan’s fault. Saying it’s Lord Kaplan’s fault here… is rather arrogance. What is Lord Kaplan? He’s just a dwarf with moist and attractive eyes.”
Kaplan’s eyes turned red at Uder’s words.
It was nothing special, but it was because Yuder said the words I really wanted to hear, the words no one else had said.
“So don’t apologize anymore. Okay?”
“Okay, okay. Okay.”
Kaplan, who had been sobbing while answering, eventually shed tears, and Uder patted Kaplan on the shoulder and turned to Cordelia.
‘good job.’
Cordelia gave a thumbs up and smiled brightly, and Uther was satisfied. He patted Kaplan on the shoulder again and smiled a little.
It was not only that he had protected Cordelia’s smile, but also that something in Uther’s heart felt fulfilled.
‘A perfect happy ending.’
The best ending where everyone is happy.
Yuder smiled again at the thought that suddenly occurred to him and waited for Kaplan to stop crying.
And about ten minutes.
“Are you okay now?”
“It’s okay. I was embarrassed.”
“It’s okay, between us.”
As Cordelia smiled playfully and spoke, Kaplan, whose cheeks turned red again, began to fluster, and Uder intervened again.
“Ahem, anyway, Sir Kaplan.”
“Yes, Yuder.”
“We plan to continue our exploration like this.”
Uther and Cordelia still haven’t found a single clue about Lena.
It was absolutely impossible to leave Endymion like this.
But it wasn’t Kaplan.
“This is the second time I’ve encountered a hellish monster in Endymion. There may be more monsters roaming around Endymion.”
It was a very dangerous place.
Kaplan swallowed dryly and nodded at Uder’s explanation. He understood roughly what Uder was saying.
‘Let’s go back.’
Because I was confident that even if we did it together, it would only be a burden.
“Okay······.”
“So from here on out, this is our selfish request. Lord Kaplan, would you please continue our exploration with us?”
“yes?”
“It is exactly as the story says. Cordelia and I are members of the Academy, but we are still inexperienced in many areas. If Lord Kaplan, a veteran archaeologist, could join us, it would be a great help.”
This wasn’t just a statement with the Kaplan effect in mind.
Endymion was an area that did not even appear in the cinematic movie of Heroes 2.
Because of this, even though they were rotten water like Uther and Cordelia, there were bound to be many difficulties in the exploration.
Even though he had a wide range of experiences, Yuder didn’t know much about archaeology or exploring ruins.
But Kaplan was different.
Kaplan’s archaeological knowledge and exploration experience would certainly be of great help.
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“Please.”
When Cordelia added her final words, Kaplan nodded immediately.
This was the first time I was asked to continue exploring together, even though I had already been through an accident once.
‘No, that’s not all.’
I wanted to help Uther and Cordelia.
I felt like I could do anything for these two angels who had descended to earth.
“I am lacking, but I will join you. I will do my best to help you.”
As Kaplan’s eyes lit up with desire, Uther felt satisfied, and Cordelia breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Thank goodness I didn’t lose my motivation.’
‘I know.’
Either way, he’s a good guy.
Yuder, who was thinking about Cordelia again, continued the conversation.
“First, I plan to go a little further inside. This place isn’t on the map of Endymion we found, but judging by the size, I think it’s probably connected in this way.”
As Uder unfolded the map and spoke, Kaplan nodded with a very serious expression, and Cordelia took a step back and began to guard the surrounding area.
It was Yuder’s job to think.
And in fact, Uther was thinking of several things at the same time.
One of them was the source of the hellish monsters that began appearing underground in Endymion.
‘Most likely, it’s a demon summoning.’
More than a thousand years have passed since Endymion’s destruction.
It was hard to believe that the demons that had destroyed Endymion in the past still remained.
‘If it’s a summoning, it must be the devil’s eye.’
The only demon cult group active in the wild lands was the Devil’s Eyes.
But then there was something a little strange.
Why did they summon the demon from Endymion?
Wouldn’t it have been better to summon it from the main camp or from the land of the Wild Gods that was under attack?
Summoning a demon required a significant sacrifice, and the sacrifice did not just spring up from the ground.
In the grand scheme of things, it was ultimately a scarce commodity.
‘The only thing I can think of is Endymion’s specialness.’
It was a land where the great lord of hell descended in the past. Perhaps it was a land with merit for summoning demons.
‘The Devil’s Hand, the newly summoned demons, Lena.’
Lena died of exhaustion in the Bladebeak Canyon, not in Endymion.
Could it be that she had a huge fight against the Devil’s Eye and the demons in the Endymion Underground?
As a result, he was able to wipe out Endymion’s demons, but he himself was seriously injured and eventually lost his life.
It was a fairly plausible hypothesis, but in the end it was just a hypothesis.
I had to move to find out the truth.
“Let’s start again soon.”
I finished the outline of the route and had plenty of rest in between.
“Go, go, go.”
“I will take the lead.”
Cordelia and Kaplan stood up and spoke, and Uther nodded.
Although Kaplan fainted during every battle, he was a man who overcame numerous crises one way or another.
It was easy to do things like proceed cautiously while keeping a low profile.
Then another thirty minutes or so.
Uder praised himself for deciding to go with Kaplan.
Because Kaplan discovered a secret path hidden in a dead end.
“This way.”
It was a secret door used by slender elves, so it was a bit burdensome for Kaplan, who had a body like a beer barrel, but it wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t pass through.
“It really is a secret passage. It looks like a theater.”
Cordelia whispered softly into Uther’s ear and pointed to his feet.
There was a floor about seven meters below, but where the group was standing now was above the ceiling, which was riddled with holes.
Although the floor was made of stone, it reminded Cordelia of the scaffolding that hung from the theater ceiling.
‘I will keep going.’
It was the moment when Kaplan, who had expressed his intentions with hand signals instead of speaking, took another step forward.
‘Parallelize! Silent!’
Cordelia quickly reached out to Kaplan and cast a spell, while Uther held his breath and focused his consciousness on hearing.
I heard footsteps.
Thanks to the protection of the earth, Uther and Cordelia were more sensitive to what was happening on the ground than before.
‘Devils.’
There were not one or two. If you include Lacto and Najarus, there were about fifteen monsters moving around together.
It was a number beyond imagination.
Moreover, judging by the magical lights shining here and there, it was highly likely that they had been using this road for a long time.
‘Let’s wait.’
Let them pass. With that number, even Uther and Cordelia, no matter how strong they were, would have a hard time.
Cordelia nodded at the look in Uther’s eyes.
Kaplan was paralyzed and couldn’t move, but thanks to that he was able to stay still.
This is how I kill any traces.
I just waited for them to pass by-
“ceiling!”
As one of the Najarus shouted sharply, the Lactos swung their whips all at once.
It was right under my feet so I didn’t even have time to react.
Kwarur-!
The ceiling collapsed.
Uther quickly flew away, hugging Kaplan, and Cordelia used her flying magic.
It was impossible to go back the way we came, as the lactos’ whips were spread out in all directions.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Debris fell and hit the ground.
Because of this, some of the Najarus and Lactos were distracted while trying to avoid the falling rocks, and Uder and Cordelia took advantage of the gap.
“Jump!”
An all-out war was impossible.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, Uther ran like a whirlwind, and Cordelia casted a series of spells right after stacking Haste.
“Greece!”
“frieze!”
“Earth Wall!”
Made the floor slippery.
The freeze created a thin wall of ice by freezing the atmosphere, and caused the ground to rise up, blocking the path.
But these were all just stopgap measures.
The Lacto’s avoided the Greek terrain by flying low, and then threw themselves into the ice wall and the raised floor, shattering them.
“Keep going!”
But it wasn’t ineffective.
Cordelia continued to cast her magic to create some distance between them. Uder checked the surroundings while running with Kaplan in his arms.
‘It’s on the map!’
I remembered it.
So I was able to draw a path.
“Earth Wall! Earth Wall!”
By using the echo of the spell, a four-layer stone wall appeared in an instant.
Uder thought of an escape route, or more precisely, a route to shake off the pursuers.
It was a fork in the road, so I had to make a good choice here.
But it was at that very moment.
[This way!]
A sharp voice rang in my head.
The message was magic.
Who could it be?
Where could it be?
“Over there!”
Cordelia figured it out instinctively.
Uther turned his gaze, and at that moment a stone barrier much larger than Cordelia’s rose from the ground.
Kwakang!
A stone wall rose with terrifying momentum and crashed into the ceiling.
One after another, clouds came rushing in from somewhere and covered the area around the stone wall.
[hurry!]
Message magic once again.
“This way!”
Cordelia ran, and Uther erased the map from his mind.
Cordelia’s beastly intuition was just intuition, but she was a sorceress. Her ability to sense and perceive magic was far superior to that of Uther.
Quagga River-!
A loud noise erupted from behind. At the same time, the monsters’ screams could also be heard.
I had to hurry.
Uther looked straight ahead, and Cordelia grabbed his shoulder and pulled him forward. He threw himself towards the wall on the side.
Chuhwak-!
It wasn’t a loud noise.
Instead of crashing into the wall, Uther and Cordelia went through the wall and crashed into the floor.
“Kkuek!”
Kaplan, who had fallen from the ship, let out a gasp, and Uder, who barely managed to protect Cordelia by wrapping her in his arms – or rather, lifting her up onto himself – let out a sigh of relief.
And Cordelia lifted her head from above Yuder’s chest and swallowed her breath. She hurriedly raised her upper body from above Yuder’s chest.
Why.
No, I could tell.
So Uther lifted Cordelia to his chest and tilted his head back to look at the same place as her.
The reason Cordelia held her breath.
The one who made my cheeks turn red with excitement.
“Lena.”
A blonde woman with a gray hood pulled down over her head stood before me.
&
< Chapter 28 - The Returnee > End
