Chapter 280

Hero. No one on the continent is unaware of this sacred title.

Of course, every time people went to the temple to worship, the priests would emphasize the heroic deeds of the hero so much that it felt like their ears were about to fall off. But at some point, the priests suddenly stopped talking about it, and the name of the hero began to fade from people’s memories. Yes, people forget faster than you’d think.

How many people still remember Ardein, the Empire’s war hero? If you can’t see or hear someone, no matter how famous they are, their glory fades. But this was just a few months ago. The name Yurinel Larkponsia hasn’t been erased from the minds of the Empire’s people yet.

“Must be some noble I don’t know about.”

But you need to know something to forget it. While rumors about the hero’s face are rampant, very few have actually seen her. The Hero Party usually operated in the Demon World and rarely showed their faces to the Empire’s citizens.

Even if you went to the temple to ask, you wouldn’t get a proper answer. The priests all emphasized the divine aura surrounding the hero. Listening to them, Yurinel Larkponsia was almost like an angel descended from heaven. Some even believed that holy white blood flowed through her veins instead of red blood.

Her courage was as vast as the sky, and her wisdom was powerful enough to overwhelm the schemes of the Demon Race. Her sacredness and holiness were so overwhelming that just being near her felt like the warm sun of spring. Facing her was like looking at the clouds in the sky—her height and depth were immeasurable. Though she stood in a sublime position, she wasn’t arrogant. Despite her noble status, she allowed anyone to approach her with kindness…

These were the kinds of things the priests, who had never seen the hero’s face, added about her. Whether it was a strategy to elevate the goddess’s reputation by praising the champion chosen by the church or a high-level deception against the Demon Race, no one knows the truth. But they did it anyway. So, no one would look at this woman and think of the hero.

“Judging by her demeanor, she doesn’t seem low-ranking, but her strength…?”

Ardein’s impression of Yurinel Larkponsia, the hero who had lost her power but not her spirit, was roughly this. In fact, Yurinel’s title of Countess was still valid, so it wasn’t entirely wrong.

Ardein’s expression turned strange after scanning Yurinel with her Sense Energy. An expert? Or below? She couldn’t tell at all. While it wasn’t impossible, it was certainly unusual.

Unless she had undergone special training to hide her strength, someone at a higher level could easily discern the level of a weaker warrior, like standing on a mountain peak and looking down. Naturally, they would sense the level of magical power and gauge the opponent’s strength.

But Yurinel had reached the level of a Master even without the help of the Sacred Sword. Although her magical power had been sealed by the Black Steel Technique, the level of Mastery itself hadn’t disappeared. She had become too weak to be called a hero, but she hadn’t lost all her power and become an ordinary person.

“Maybe at the beginner level of an expert?”

But what difference does that make when she’s lost everything?

The hero’s power was gone, and the Sacred Sword was destroyed. If she had at least achieved the goals she set out to accomplish as a hero, she could have found some comfort.

But looking back, while she thought she had achieved a lot, there was nothing she could truly boast about.

All her accomplishments had become meaningless, something no one even mentioned anymore, destined to be forgotten.

The Demon Emperor Harmail, who was once the leader of the Demon Race, had allied with the Empire and was no longer an enemy of humanity. So, there was no longer any reason for the hero to exist. If she still had the Sacred Sword, it might have been different, but without it, the church no longer revered her.

Only when the threat of the Death God was at its peak did anyone think she might be useful. But now, with a threat far greater than the Death God looming, no one cared about the old Hero Party.

“Why are you sneaking around like that? What’s your intention for lurking near my comrades? If you’re up to something suspicious, get lost, or explain yourself!”

Of course, the church, which prides itself on mercy and love, didn’t immediately turn its back on the hero party once their usefulness was gone. The priests still treated them with great care, and they were served good food at every meal.

But if you have eyes and ears, you can’t help but notice that something has changed. Yurinel soon realized she had lost her voice in the church.

And she would never regain that lost influence.

What she truly wanted to achieve remained unfulfilled, and what she had accomplished had become meaningless. Even her body had become completely useless. If you’re not furious, you’re not human.

So, her tone toward Ardein was sharp and biting. The frustration within her unknowingly spilled out through her voice.

“Miss. It’s not good to get angry right away. That lady over there… no, that lady came to see me. She’s not one of your comrades.”

Without Ardein needing to protest, Leon, who was enjoying a board game, chimed in. His eyes were still on the board, but his ears were tilted toward them.

“Do you know each other?”


“Of course. We had a connection in the north.”


“Is that it…? Are you really acquainted?”

When Lucia tilted her head in confusion, Leon laughed and brushed it off. In truth, he and Ardein had almost no connection. They knew each other, but they had never adventured or traveled together.

But since he wasn’t skilled at lying, making up a story would only raise suspicions. So, it was better to stick to the truth and keep his mouth shut.

“Yurinel. And you, unnamed lady. Everyone’s having fun, so don’t ruin the mood. If you have something to say, why don’t you take it outside?”

Lucia looked at them suspiciously, then quickly spoke up, noticing the disapproving glances from around. Indeed, reproachful looks were pouring in from all sides.

These were people who had decided to enjoy themselves calmly until the very end. But the noisy argument had ruined the mood. Though no one said or did anything, the looks were sharp. Yurinel realized this and immediately shut her mouth.

“Hey, you! Can’t you come over here?!”

Seizing the moment, Ardein quickly ran off. It’s not that she was afraid of the woman, but she didn’t want to get into a verbal fight with her. There was nothing to gain from it.

She seemed like a woman with many grievances, and it looked like she was full of anger. There was no guarantee she could be reasoned with. But that didn’t mean Ardein could afford to get angry and fight back.

If it were the hot-blooded, reckless Ardein of her younger days, she wouldn’t have run away like this. Back then, she probably would have pulled out a whip and started swinging.

But the immature girl had grown up and matured. Of course, she knew this wasn’t the “ideal” solution.

The best way would be to persuade the woman and clear up the misunderstanding. But she was someone she’d only see once and never again.

Though it didn’t feel real yet, the end was truly near. Every second was precious, and she didn’t want to waste that time. Slipping through the crowd of people playing billiards, Ardein left the party and let out a deep sigh.

“Well, that was a good show, but I shouldn’t have come.”

It was better than standing around listlessly waiting for death, but only just. She still wanted to struggle somehow. She didn’t want to accept defeat so helplessly.

But that was just her own thought. Everyone else seemed to have already resigned themselves to the impending doom. She couldn’t blame them. She didn’t know how to struggle herself, and without any alternatives, she had no right to criticize them.

“What could I have done by coming here anyway?”

She found Kisea and Leon. But so what? Should she grab them by the collar and drag them back to the Imperial Palace? Even if the chances were slim, if there was even a glimmer of hope, the story would be different. People are willing to risk their lives for that small hope.

But now, there was no hope. No matter how hard you looked, you couldn’t see it.

The enemy was too big and powerful. They didn’t even have the right to risk their lives against it. Couldn’t they see that it would be pointless?

If there was meaning, it wouldn’t be hard to find people willing to sacrifice themselves. Ardein herself would have been one of them. But charging at those flesh beasts was clearly a suicidal act. And no one wanted to die like that.

Even Ardein didn’t have the confidence to do it…

“It’s getting closer. In such a short time.”

The sun was setting, as it always did, sinking into the western sky. Since before the Capital existed, the sun had risen in the east and set in the west. And it would continue to do so for eternity.

No matter what upheavals occurred on Earth, the sun would simply go on its way. It would rise and set at the appointed times. But today’s sunset was different. Something huge blocked the sun, casting a long shadow.

The shadow alone was enough to cover the entire Capital, and even though the sun hadn’t set yet, the city was dark. Perhaps, just perhaps,

there was no longer even a single week of grace left for this city.