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I can fully focus on the Behemoth without worrying about other issues.
While cudgeling my brains about it, I saw Randolph look over at me with a look of bewilderment.
“Any problem?”
“…the hero is so contrary to the rumors I've heard so far. So true—one should not believe in rumors. To be swayed by such nonsense even at this age… It's just shameful."
“Yeah, kinda embarrassing. It was true even for me until a few years ago, I was only an ignorant, salaried employee.”
“Ah, I–"
Just when Randolph felt staggered from listening to my self-abusive rant.
“Commander! Monsters have launched another attack!"
A soldier on horseback hurriedly came up to report the situation.
Randolph's expression turned serious.
“Which line of defense is it?”
“This is the third line of defense. The number of monsters is way bigger than expected, the defense line is struggling to hold them back.”
"Alright, I'm coming right up. Hero, please wait in the barracks.”
"No. We are coming along.”
“…it may be dangerous.”
"What's being a Hero without facing risks, eh?”
Randolph pondered for a moment, then nodded his head.
"Alright."
Me and my party readily got on horses and galloped in toe with Randolph and his soldiers rushing towards the third line of defence.
It wasn't long before I could see the soldiers fighting fiercely at the entrance of the forest.
The shield soldiers stood in a row at the front, holding back the monsters, while the soldiers standing behind them stabbed or skewered the monsters with their swords and spears.
The soldiers tried their best keeping the monsters at bay, but there were just too many in number.
The situation at the defense line looked so precarious that every next moment seemed to be the decisive one in monsters' favour.
“Fortunately, we arrived on time. All troops! In positions!”
He barked orders in quick succession.
While as I approached the defense line, the horse galloping under me did not slow down, but became even faster. I stood up on the back of the galloping horse. Taking heed of the timing, I kicked myself off the horse to launch me into the battlefield.
– Hero!
By the time Randolph's startled voice echoed, I had already crossed the line of defense.
I landed on an empty spot right behind the group of monsters.
– Kreung…
Perhaps they were wary of the sudden appearance of a foolhardy human, the monsters only menacingly bared their razor-sharp fangs and did not rush in.
Thanks to which, I was able to examine my furry adversaries.
‘As expected, these twerps are not some ordinary beasts or monsters.’
Either their muscles were abnormally enlarged, or they had extra horns on their body, or their hides were much thicker.
The strengthening was branched in several different directions.
Most probably, the Behemoth's appearance was at fault.
‘With such extreme numbers, they can even trample over knights.’
Looking closely, I could even see the corpses of what I assumed to be knights torn in shreds and lying on the ground.
Not many.
By rough estimate, around four.
Seeing the corpses' different positions, it seemed that they were planning to annihilate the horde of monsters while the soldiers held them out.
– Crrrrr!
– Kunhhhg!
The monsters began to move.
A savage wolf with large horns, a wild boar with huge ripped muscles bulging on its forelimbs, and a tiger with its pointed fangs attacked at the same time.
I drew out my sword.
[Strike]-!
In the next second, the lifeless bodies of the three monsters dropped down with a thud. No matter how powerfully the Behemoth's buff fortified them, my level status was also in a different league from before.
============ Lv.42
Strength: D (312)+(62) Agility: D (301) Durability: E (266) Mana: E (248) ==============
I went through my upgraded status after clearing the dungeon.
These are pure stats excluding the effects of equipment or other accessories.
It was no longer necessary to use a high power attack skills like [Wolf Buster] against these beasts and monsters whose level and stats were far lower than mine.
Even a range skill like [Rampage] was enough to slaughter a large number of them in one move.
I teared a path through the horde of monsters and swung my sword.
* * *
“Neria, did you bring a towel?”
"Yup. I brought it. I will wipe it for you.”
“Don't mind, I’ll take care of it myself.”
"Okay, got it…"
“Hero, are you injured anywhere?”
“There are bites and scratches all over the place. These monsters attack like damn thugs.”
“Fortunately, these are minor injuries. I will heal you right away.”
The corpses and blood of dozens of monsters littered the floor. The hero and his party members conversed peacefully on the hellish battlefield that made out the scene to be horrific.
The soldiers who saw the scene felt terrified.
In particular, Randolph looked at the hero and found himself dumbfounded.
He was the one who first decided to dismiss the rumors surrounding Cloud as nonsense. But, no matter how overstated it may be, isn't there a reason for which he is called the Incompetent Hero?
He originally assumed that Cloud, who showed a sober state of thought, would be weak in strength.
But, far from being weak, he alone repulsed the whole horde of monsters that had gobbled up even the knights.
Randolph tentatively asked Cloud.
“Hero. Can other heroes also do it this… lightly?”
Cloud paused wiping the blood off his body for a moment. He looked around at the corpses of monsters that laid still on the floor.
"Um."
He replied as if it was obvious.
Randolph wanted to ask more, but he closed his mouth shut.
He had no idea what to say anymore.
* * *
After arriving at the camp, he spent most of his time dealing with the monsters that were aiming for the defense line.
About a week later, Gis and his party arrived at the camp. Contrary to what I had expected from being bothered as soon as they arrived, Gis was not the one who appeared in front of me.
Instead, someone else took the job.
"Hello. Miss Adreana Salierre. I know you want to talk. But was there a need for it to be so late at night?”
A team member of Gis suddenly appeared in front of my tent pointing that she wanted to have a conversation with me at this hour.
Same was with Neria and Ophelia, and now her.
Do all people who associated with Gis forget the basic concept of time?
Please, please kindly come in the morning. Fuck you Gis!
“The pommel of your sword. Where did that come from?”
Whether she knew my thoughts or not, Adreana only bothered with what she wanted to say.
Gosh…
I sighed and didn't answer, she continued.
“Did you inherit it from your mother?”
"Yes. But why do you care?”
“…your mother didn’t explain it to you?”
"Explain? Yeah, she looked like she was going to say something… but she breathed her last before she could.”
I lied in moderation to find out the intentions that brought Adreana to me.
She clicked her tongue in annoyance, pointed to my pommel, and started her explanation.
“The pommel pattern. It is the emblem of our Salierre family. That pommel is a gift my father gave to the woman he had affection for. Now do you understand why I came?”
Now he did.
‘The owner of this pommel was an illegitimate son of the Salierre family.’
But the real owner of this pommel died in the contest, and I picked it up there. Because of that, she mistook me for her half-brother.
If so, what I need to do is simple.
"Age?"
“Twenty-four.”
“Sister!”
“W-What?!”
I hugged Adreana tightly.
A sibling hug.
Though none of us shared a single drop of blood.
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