Chapter 105: Return of the Hero (1)  

Red Castle.

This place, surrounded by tall mud walls and high watchtowers, is a massive artificial fortress created by Morg’s wizards.

Inside, ruby veins flowed, and mines were being developed one after another.

On a dark night, Vikir crossed over the towering mud walls and entered the inner area.

Men in guard uniforms patrolled under the iron bars and rocks that jutted out.

Vikir, with his silent hill skill of Mushussu, blended into the shadows and crossed the castle walls, descending along the iron bars.

Before long, the interior landscape of Red Castle spread out.

Damp streets with rain falling. Dim lights seeped through the dark alleyways.

Vikir looked for an inn to avoid the night’s dew and headed down an alley.

Then.

“…?”

Vikir spotted something towering high above the buildings on the other side of the alley.

Even in the darkness and rain, it was a large and magnificent statue that could be seen quite clearly.

It was a massive sculpture with the shape of a figure standing tall and looking at the western flood, probably made entirely of gold.

The bottom shone with a golden glow, making the surroundings appear bright.

However, the upper part of the face was obscured by darkness and not visible.

“Why did they put something like that up there?”

Vikir tilted his head for a moment.

It was not there until he left this fortress two years ago, so that’s understandable.

Even though this land is controlled by Morgs, the essential ownership belongs to the Baskerville family, so there should have been an agreement between both parties to erect such a symbolic sculpture… Are there individuals deserving of such a status?

Moreover, the fact that it sparkled so much in gold from head to toe raised questions about its identity.

Vikir cautiously approached the statue.

Just as he was about to try to find out who this golden statue was erected to commemorate…

“Hey! You newbie, get out of here!”

One of the guards guarding the golden statue gestured toward Vikir.

It seems like there are some rats trying to gnaw on the gold of the statue.

“This statue is a monument installed by Morg to honor the hero who protected Red Castle! Don’t approach it carelessly! Just look at it from a distance!”

Due to the excessively vigilant guard, Vikir retreated.

There was no room for a confrontation with the guard. If he revealed his identity, it would be quite troublesome.

“Even if everyone has forgotten in the past two years… There’s nothing good about making trouble.”

Since Vikir wasn’t particularly curious about the identity of the statue, he quickly entered the alley.He was eager to find an inn and rest.

Before long, Vikir entered a tavern.

Rainwater had pooled on the floor, and muddy footprints mixed with dust were scattered messily.

The stifling heat inside contrasted with the cold wind on the streets, making Vikir’s vision hazy with moisture.

The air was filled with the smells of grilling meat, simmering fish stew, clinking beer glasses, and the noisy mix of laughter and shouting.

Vikir took a seat.

Immediately, a hot glass of rum and three skewers of salted turkey gizzards were placed in front of him.

He raised his hand to call the unfriendly waitress.

“I didn’t order this…”

“Hey, that’s the standard drink and snack.”

The one who replied instead of the waitress was a man who had somehow come and sat next to Vikir.

Vikir, his hood covering his head, looked over at the man.

The man, heavily bearded, squinted his eyes as he looked at Vikir.

“I saw you in the alley earlier, right?”

Come to think of it, he was the guard who had shouted at Vikir earlier.

“Hahaha! Sorry for shouting earlier. But you see, I have a sense of duty in my job. I had to be extra vigilant when they assigned me to guard this statue.”

He laughed, patting Vikir’s shoulder.

He seemed to have relaxed his guard after seeing that Vikir looked like a late teenager.

Vikir simply nodded his head.

“…I understand.”

As if the guard found Vikir agreeable, he raised his hand to call the waitress.

Then, he looked at the golden statue that could be seen even outside the window and said,

“Well, you know, you have to understand. It’s my duty to protect the statue that honors ‘that person.’”

“‘That person’?”

When Vikir asked, the guard spoke as if he were excited.

“The hero who saved Red Castle two years ago. Thanks to him, we could survive even during the large-scale invasion of the barbarians. Even Morg’s wizards and the swordsmen of Baskerville.”

“…?”

Vikir raised an eyebrow.

This was a completely unexpected story.

“Was there such a hero?”

Two years ago, wasn’t he missing before that? Was there a massive invasion by the barbarians at that time? And was there a powerful figure capable of defending both Baskerville and Morg, even the Imperial Capital?

Everything was filled with questions.

As Vikir tried to recall the name of the hero, he made an effort to search through his memories, fearing he might have forgotten.“Hey! Get a move on and take the little friend’s order here! Damn! Did you just boil the turtle legs like that without any care!”

The guard called over the surly waitress and ordered pork salt grill and a bottle of rum.

The guard then turned to Vikir and asked, “What would the little friend like to drink? I apologize for yelling earlier, so it’s on me.”

“Then, I’ll have rum too…”

“Hahaha! Your voice screams ‘I’m just a kid.’ How about warm milk instead!”

The guard pushed the waitress toward the kitchen.

Then, the guards dressed similarly to the one who had sat down beside Vikir started laughing.

“Hey! You’re talking about ‘that person’ again!”

“Yeah, that guy goes around spreading legends of ‘that person’ as soon as he sees a stranger from out of town.”

“Well, I get it. ‘That person’ is the reason we’re still alive.”

“Exactly. No amount of praise and admiration for ‘that person’ is enough. Seriously.”

The guard soldiers chattered away.

Seeing that Vikir remained silent with his hood pulled up, the guard sitting beside him spoke up.

“Hehehe. An outsider, huh? But you must have heard of it. ‘That person’s fame and deeds resonate not only throughout the Underdog City but across the entire territory of Baskerville, and even beyond, to the Imperial Capital!”

“…”

“Are you too shocked to speak? How can the legend of a hero who started in such a remote place shake the entire Empire?”

“…”

“Well, I guess so. But it’s the truth. My cousin’s daughter, who recently visited the Imperial Capital, confirmed how highly ‘that person’ is praised in the Empire’s social circles.”

The guard soldier downed a glass of rum and shouted with a flushed face.

“Even after two years, the memories of that day are still vivid! The overwhelming emotion, the excitement, the chilling goosebumps!”

“…Hmm. It seems like a remarkable hero emerged two years ago.”

As Vikir muttered with his head bowed, the reactions around him exploded.

The guard soldiers at the back tables raised their glasses filled with beer, vodka, and whiskey.

“Hahaha! You don’t know about ‘that person’! Are you a spy or something!? Even if you’re an ignorant outsider, you must have heard of ‘that person’ at least once, right?”

“Exactly! It was truly amazing! ‘That person’ fearlessly pursued the barbarians who no one dared to chase after during that day’s surprise attack!”

“Led Morg and Baskerville’s united forces and charged into the darkness caused by the Mountain without hesitation! Can you believe it? Against those enemies! At night! It was like a suicide mission! Haha, but ‘that person’ pulled it off! Even the Empire’s Madoc Castle was just a tiny fort on that day!”

“Hey! Those are nothing! ‘That person single-handedly cut down over a thousand fearsome barbarians and brought back Camus Morg (The frail Golden Leaf of Morg), who was already poisoned by the venom! Morg’s beloved daughter could recover only because of ‘that person’s efforts!”

“Hehe! If you haven’t seen it with your own eyes, shut up! ‘That person’ bravely fought against the unknown giant monster that suddenly appeared! I personally witnessed the last moments of ‘that person,’ who heroically gave his all to ensure the safe retreat of Morg and Baskerville’s united forces!”

“…?”

Vikir felt that something was strange.

A hero who suddenly appeared and effortlessly dealt with numerous barbarians who invaded unexpectedly.

A knight who ventured into danger to rescue Morg’s frail daughter even as he was heavily poisoned.

A heroic sacrifice to buy time for the united forces of Morg and Baskerville to retreat, fighting courageously against a massive monster in the darkness.

“Only two years ago, the great hero who existed alongside us here! His name was…!”

The guard soldier stood up from his seat, holding a torch and illuminating the view outside the window.

Then, in the darkness on the other side, beyond the clouds, the face of the golden statue became clearly visible, bathed in the moonlight.

The imposing figure of the hero was modeled after none other than Vikir himself.