Chapter 5: Find the Hero
== [Find the Hero!] ==
[Objective] – Find the Hero.
[Reward] – ???
[Upon Failure] – End of the Continent.
Translucent messages filled my vision.
Thanks to my previous experience receiving a quest, I quickly understood what they meant.
The penalty for failure was the End of the Continent, but it did not particularly surprise me.
After all, it was only natural.
“It was approximately fifteen years ago when I ran away from home….”
In other words, I had traveled fifteen years into the past.
That meant the emperor would begin his activities in earnest approximately ten years from now.
And then, in just one year—
Every kingdom and city on the continent would be erased from the map.
Only one person could stop that emperor.
Ian.
Ian alone could oppose the emperor.
Without Ian, the continent had no future.
I absolutely had to find him.
This was indeed a quest worthy of being called a [Main Quest].
“But is this all?”
However, its contents were far too inadequate.
It had thrown a pile of questions at me and then left me to deal with them myself.
There were no specific instructions telling me what to do. It did not even provide a hint about where Ian might be found.
It had not given me so much as a trace or clue.
“Does a quest merely point me in the right direction?”
Judging from the previous [Tutorial Quest], that appeared to be the case.
After all, the [Tutorial Quest] had merely presented the objective of “surviving” the Ice Troll.
Whether I survived by “fighting” the Ice Troll—
Or survived by “fleeing” from it—
It had not decided how I should accomplish the objective.
Choosing how to achieve the objective was entirely up to me. That also meant I alone would bear responsibility for the result.
In that case, my immediate objective was clear.
“I have to find Ian.”
Then I had to stop the emperor together with him.
I needed to find Ian before the emperor began acting in earnest.
In other words, I had ten years.
That was a considerable amount of time.
However, it was not enough for me to relax.
Although I had returned to the past, the Empire already reigned as the hegemon of the continent during this period.
Even at this point in the past, the emperor was the strongest.
However, he was currently laying low because his power was not yet sufficient to overcome the entire continent.
By now, the emperor was probably laying the groundwork for his invasion.
In other words, he was secretly plotting something deep within the Imperial Palace.
There was nothing immediately urgent, but that did not mean I had time to spare.
I needed to find Ian as quickly as possible.
Together with Ian, I had to build the power and forces necessary to stop the emperor.
The problem was “how” I was supposed to find Ian….
“Hmm….”
I calmly organized my thoughts.
In my current situation, I had “two” options.
The first was to leave immediately in search of Ian.
If the regression was caused by Ian’s ability, then Ian must have returned to the past with me.
As the quest stated, Ian should be “somewhere on the continent”.
I could find Ian somewhere on this vast continent and then develop the strength and forces necessary to oppose the emperor.
That was my first option.
“The problem is that I don’t know where Ian is at this point in time.”
The same applied to Ian.
Ian did not know where I was at this point in time either.
We had never gone out of our way to discuss every detail of what we had been doing fifteen years ago.
However, Ian could at least make an “educated guess”.
Ian knew that I was the eldest son of House White Wolf.
If he had returned to the past with me—
Ian would undoubtedly be searching for me as well.
In the past—or rather, in my previous life—I had fled House White Wolf.
But Ian knew that I had returned to the past, so he could assume that I would act differently from how I had in my previous life.
Ian might already be heading toward House White Wolf.
What if I went looking for Ian and we passed each other along the way?
“That would be a complete disaster.”
Therefore, my second option was to remain at House White Wolf until Ian came looking for me.
“I hadn’t even considered doing that….”
Honestly, I had no intention of returning to the house.
Back when I was a delinquent, I had possessed such ambitions.
That was why I had felt such tremendous resentment toward Seraphia for taking everything belonging to the house from me.
But I no longer felt that way.
None of that held any meaning for me now.
The emotions I had harbored as the delinquent son of a count’s family had faded and disappeared after I became the Predator of the coalition army and fought across countless battlefields.
The comrades I had fought alongside in the coalition army were now far more precious to me than the members of my house.
Therefore, the only anger remaining within me was not directed toward “Seraphia”, who had taken everything belonging to the house from me.
It was directed toward the “Monarch of Frost”, who had massacred my comrades in the coalition army.
“Come to think of it, I failed to kill the Monarch of Frost too.”
Now that I thought about it, I had also failed to kill Seraphia, the Monarch of Frost.
I could never simply leave Seraphia alone.
Even if I decided to leave immediately in search of Ian, I first had to kill her.
She was my younger sister?
We were family?
None of that meant anything to me.
I would merely be eliminating one of the Six Monarchs, who were considered the emperor’s greatest military assets, before she could become one.
But when I actually tried to kill her—
Ian’s final words bothered me.
“....This is seriously driving me insane.”
What the hell had that bastard Ian been thinking when he said something so ridiculous?
“Just wait until I find you.”
I would give him a proper piece of my mind.
In any event, I could not recklessly kill Seraphia right now.
There had to be a reason Ian regretted killing her even more than he regretted confessing to the Saintess and getting rejected.
Until I learned that reason, Seraphia’s fate would have to be “postponed”.
“Then I suppose the decision has been made.”
My two options had now been narrowed down to one.
“Let’s return to the house.”
If Ian had returned to the past with me, he would also be looking for me. It would be wiser to wait for Ian at the house than to move around recklessly.
More importantly, I still had not decided what to do with Seraphia.
“Only until Ian arrives.”
I would keep Seraphia alive only until then.
“Let’s go back.”
Having organized my thoughts, I turned around.
However—
“....Where was the house again?”
I had forgotten where it was.
Although less than a week had passed since I left the house in this timeline, from my perspective, it had actually been more than fifteen years.
I could not remember the location of the house or any of its members.
The only person I remembered was my younger sister, Seraphia, the Monarch of Frost.
And—
“Ah, come to think of it, Kai—that lunatic—is alive too.”
After all, I had returned to the past.
In other words, besides Seraphia, there was one more person in the house whom I absolutely had to kill.
But….
“I can’t beat him in my current condition.”
….I was not confident that I could defeat Kai.
Seraphia had not yet awakened as the Monarch of Frost.
But Kai was different. He was the Chief Knight of House White Wolf.
Even now, Kai was absurdly powerful.
“Should I use Predation a few more times before returning?”
In truth, Predation was not an ability I could use indiscriminately.
The Ice Troll’s [Regeneration (C+)] made that obvious.
In most cases, consuming a heart once did not allow me to manifest the entirety of its ability.
Sometimes, I needed to repeat Predation several times. Other times, I needed to repeat it hundreds of times.
Every time I used Predation, I was consumed by madness.
Therefore, my past self—
Or rather, the person I had been in my previous life—
Had been unable to absorb many abilities.
However—
“I have Player’s Will now.”
I possessed [Player’s Will (EX)], one of Ian’s abilities.
Even if I used Predation as much as I wanted, I would no longer be consumed by madness.
That meant I could grow “infinitely” stronger as long as I could find enough specimens.
Furthermore, the emperor had not yet begun his activities during this period.
Not only Ice Trolls but also countless rare monsters still existed in the wild.
Moreover—
“Come to think of it, I haven’t properly examined the Solo Level Up ability yet.”
Ian’s other ability, [Solo Level Up (EX)].
I still did not understand exactly what it did.
“If it’s one of Ian’s abilities, like Player’s Will….”
Ian’s absurd strength—
Perhaps the secret behind it lay within [Solo Level Up (EX)].
* * *
A territory stood in the middle of an endlessly stretching snowfield.
Behind it rose snow-covered hills and mountain ranges, as though they had been fitted with white caps.
The walls were thick and tall to withstand the bitterly cold weather, while ice and snow filled their crevices.
Several small villages surrounded the magnificent castle at the center of the territory.
Each village consisted of low wooden houses with snow-covered roofs.
The territory’s landscape radiated warmth and vitality even amid the freezing winter, as though displaying its people’s determination to overcome the brutal cold.
“Hmm.”
A man standing within that landscape let out a quiet hum. He possessed sharp facial contours and a well-defined jawline.
His deep, cold blue eyes were as sharp and keen as those of a wolf.
His long, radiant blond hair seemed to contain sunlight. He had a perfectly trained, muscular body. Silver armor fitted that body flawlessly.
His icy presence, reminiscent of the bitter cold, revealed little of his emotions.
The man resembled a noble wolf.
His name was Kai, the Chief Knight of House White Wolf.
Kai carefully examined the Ice Troll’s corpse brought back by the soldiers.
The Ice Troll’s corpse was remarkably intact.
It appeared almost alive, except for its complete lack of movement.
In other words, killing the Ice Troll had not required an extensive process.
‘Its heart was pierced.’
The Ice Troll’s heart was missing.
However, judging from the location of the puncture in its hide, Kai could tell that the attack had pierced its heart precisely.
‘There are no defensive wounds.’
That meant the attacker had waited for a single opportunity and then pierced the Ice Troll’s heart.
But judging from the wound—
The strike had not even been infused with Aura.
It had been a simple thrust.
To accomplish something like this, the attacker needed exceptional Dynamic Visual Acuity capable of accurately reading the Ice Troll’s movements.
And that was not all.
The agility necessary to evade the Ice Troll’s attack. The courage required to slip inside the Ice Troll’s reach. Finally, the timing and coordination necessary to execute the thrust.
Every one of those elements had to align perfectly without deviating by even an inch.
That was far from easy.
Such perfection was difficult to achieve even through endless practice and brutal training.
Merely possessing the courage to slip inside an Ice Troll’s reach was already a tremendous hurdle.
Even Veteran Mercenaries who had survived countless battlefields would find it difficult to display such nerve.
In other words, this was a thrust that even a Veteran Mercenary would not dare attempt.
That was how perfect it had been.
A weakened Ice Troll could never have done anything against an opponent like that.
Even if the Ice Troll had been healthy, the result probably would not have changed significantly.
Could I have blocked it?
Kai imagined the opponent in his mind.
After exchanging several moves with that imaginary opponent, he quickly reached a conclusion.
He probably would have chosen to evade rather than attempt to block it.
The very idea of blocking such a perfect thrust was foolish.
That was precisely why he could not believe it.
He simply could not believe that the “delinquent son of the count’s family” had done this.
After finishing his examination of the corpse, Kai slowly turned his head.
Seraphia was the liege he had sworn to protect with his life.
Kai carefully examined the black handprint imprinted upon her long, pale throat.
She had attempted to conceal it with a scarf, but the dark, discolored bruise stood out against her snow-white skin.
It was immediately obvious how tightly her throat had been gripped.
Kai could sense the unmistakable killing intent contained within that handprint.
He had tried to kill her. There was no doubt about it.
Adrian had tried to kill Seraphia. Therefore, Kai had no choice but to ask—
“Why did you allow that man to live?”
Why had Seraphia spared Adrian?
According to the soldiers, Seraphia had stopped them.
The soldiers had been forced to let Adrian go because of Seraphia’s orders.
If Kai had been there, he would never have allowed that to happen.
Seraphia would never have been placed in danger in the first place, and Adrian certainly would not have left that place alive.
Adrian….had to die.
It was the only path that would protect Seraphia, House White Wolf, and every resident of the county.
“Mind your words, Sir Kai.”
However, Seraphia’s thoughts were the complete opposite of Kai’s.
“No matter what anyone says, Brother is the legitimate eldest son of House White Wolf.”
Seraphia still called Adrian “Brother”.
She defended him because she regarded him as her only family.
Kai did not share her sentiments.
“At the same time, he is also the man who threatened your life. I am merely fulfilling my duty as the knight sworn to protect you, my Lady.”
“Then you have all the more reason to mind your words. I am not the Lord. Brother is.”
As expected.
Adrian should have been killed on the spot.
Kai’s resolve grew even firmer.
If that bastard returned to the house claiming that he intended to reclaim his rights as the legitimate eldest son….
That was when it happened.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Bells rang from the castle tower that rose high above the territory and watched over its surroundings.
The soldiers on the walls began moving in perfect order, indicating that something had happened.
“W-We have an emergency!!”
Sure enough, a soldier came running toward them in a panic.
Urgency filled the soldier’s face.
“L-Lord Adrian has just returned to the county!”
A razor-sharp killing intent surfaced within Kai’s dark blue eyes.
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