Episode 174 In the Hero's Footsteps (1)
"Wow… The internet is buzzing about Hahoe Mask these days. Well, it's even on the news. It's a bit blurred out because of the video's impact, but still."
"They're overreacting, though."
"It can't be helped, it's fascinating. It's the first time a being like a Bone Dragon appeared on Earth. And our people like that kind of stuff, so they're keeping the fire burning."
"That kind of stuff?"
Jin So-ran grinned mischievously at Heinz, who tilted his head.
"You know, adding 'K' in front of everything. They're calling him K-Hahoe Mask these days. I heard he was even nominated for the Do You Know Club. Pfft."
"…Hmm, how pointless. Anyway, the important things are mostly done, so I'll be going. You can handle the rest, Jin So-ran."
"Ah, yes! Understood, Lord. Please go ahead."
And so, after casually finishing their conversation, he left Heterosis's office and immediately disappeared with "Existence Denial", flying towards his residence.
Of course, the real Heinz the Second was still in the Talia Kingdom, and he was currently using "Individual Projection".
'I should refrain from projecting as Hans until the Japan operation is over. Anyway, Heaven's Turn Society…'
Hans's recent clash with Heaven's Turn Society gave him a lot to think about.
He had managed to break their trap and turn the tables on them thanks to Heratos, but that wasn't a reason to underestimate them.
'It's actually the opposite. I almost had to dismiss myself. The undead weren't of much use against an enemy of that level.'
Actually, it wasn't like he hadn't summoned undead from the beginning.
He just gave up midway after realizing that a half-baked force would only hinder him in a battle against them.
It was only natural, considering the fierce battle where he had to move across the battlefield at high speed and unleash dark magic like a bombardment.
The undead he had created on Earth using only dark magic, without any special materials or processes, inevitably had limitations.
Of course, the high-ranking undead from the immortal army would have been helpful…
'When I created the subordinate subspace, I thought I would be able to freely summon and use the undead from another world… Well, I didn't know much about the laws back then.'
Unlike the awakened ones, who defied the laws of the world, the undead from another world, who operated according to their own system, collapsed as soon as they were summoned to Earth, making it impossible to use them properly.
Except for Heratos, who was able to be summoned because he was a Bone Dragon and Hans was acting as his heart.
And it was impossible to send reinforcements through the transfer formation like in Auterica, so currently, the only option he had if things got dangerous was to dismiss himself.
'But I've acquired a lot of high-quality materials this time, so things will get better, right? And Salma's undead transformation is almost complete.'
He had high expectations for the Earthling and awakened undead he was currently meticulously crafting.
He would be a bit weaker than he was alive, but an undead who was almost at the level of transcendence and ignored the laws of the world would be helpful in the long run.
'I should do the finishing touches on Earth, just in case. To think I can enjoy the benefits on Earth while doing the time-consuming and resource-intensive processes in another world, it's an environment that all necromancers would envy.'
It meant that the corpses he had recently acquired would be reborn as top-class undead in just a few days in Earth time, so his forces were being strengthened at a speed that Heaven's Turn Society couldn't even imagine.
But even that was still lacking.
'A force of that level was just their Japan branch… and a few reinforcements from China?'
He hadn't been able to properly examine the memories of those he had eliminated this time because he didn't have the time to capture them alive, but according to the information he had gathered so far, Heaven's Turn Society wasn't just an organization limited to Asia.
And if their forces in East Asia alone were at that level, he couldn't even imagine how powerful they were worldwide.
'They could easily take over several countries if they were serious.'
But if they did that, even Heaven's Turn Society would have to suffer unnecessary losses, so they must have chosen their current path.
Maybe there were already countries that had fallen into their hands, just not revealed yet.
'…No matter how I think about it, Hans alone isn't enough. I need more, more power.'
There was a limit to what Hans could do alone, no matter how strong he was.
He needed to increase his numbers to effectively counter their ambitions…
'I can't expect anything from the Returnee Association or the awakened one management agencies of each country, they're too big. There's no way to prevent information from leaking out during the process of multiple people discussing.'
Or maybe they even had a spy in a key position.
And he couldn't just trust those who were hostile towards Heaven's Turn Society, who definitely existed somewhere.
'It would be easier to just take care of everything myself. Well, I can always provide indirect support if I actually encounter them.'
As he had planned from the beginning, it was best to raise multiple avatars and make them strong.
Heaven's Turn Society would never understand.
Why Hahoe Mask's interference was so persistent.
And that other obstacles would soon appear and hinder them.
____________________
[Kihihihik!]
Clatter! Clatter—!
In the heart of the Northern Mountains in the Ion Continent, a pitch-black castle stood on a terrain surrounded by tall mountains, where sunlight rarely reached.
It was a demonic realm, filled with the energy of death because of the countless undead surrounding it, not to mention the chilling atmosphere due to various environmental factors.
It was the 'Immortal Fortress', the demon king's castle created by Immortal King Hans using the Eternal Labyrinth.
[Indeed, magnificent. The maturation period seems to be shorter than I expected because we actively used the abyss. Good work, Dwell.]
[You flatter me, Immortal King! This is nothing!]
Two skeletons were having a friendly conversation in a deep part of the castle, against a backdrop that made the already eerie interior even more chilling.
All sorts of magic circles were engraved everywhere, and shamanistic tools of bizarre shapes were scattered about.
Something's biological tissues, seemingly samples, were writhing, showing off their presence, and various experimental equipment, neatly arranged, reflected a cold light.
And there was even something that looked like an incubator, filled with the abyss and bubbling…
It was literally a 'mad scientist's laboratory'.
'It's not wrong, since it's a research lab for Liches. And it's currently also being used as a workshop to create special undead.'
Hans glanced at the Liches around him and then turned his gaze back to Dwell, who was in charge of this laboratory.
He was able to return from Earth without much burden thanks to the different flow of time, but it was only once every ten days, so he had to leave most of the work to his subordinates.
But even though Dwell's combat power was lower than the other executives, he was still a veteran Arch-Lich who had lived for a much longer time than Hans.
It wasn't difficult for him to manage the undead transformation process, and naturally, he was able to gain the Immortal King's trust by handling his tasks perfectly.
[Good, then… next is this.]
Thud—
And thanks to that trust,
Hans dumped the corpses of the awakened ones he had carefully selected and brought from Earth onto the laboratory floor.
One suit-wearing guy from Heaven's Turn Society, who was at the same level as Salma, and fifteen other corpses that could become useful assets if he put in the effort.
[…Uh, are we… processing all of these with the same method as… that guy?]
[Hehehe— Yes. I have separate plans for them, so put extra care into it.]
[Yes, sir! Leave it to me!]
He said it wasn't difficult, but it wasn't like the process, which even included handling the abyss, was truly easy.
It was a task that required a lot of attention and effort, and he had suddenly been entrusted with this many…
[Then I'll come back later.]
[…Yes.]
But it was just an everyday occurrence for Hans, who had multiple capable subordinates under his command and had become accustomed to such a harsh work environment.
After all, the immortal army was a black company from the beginning, so it couldn't be helped.
And so, after dumping a pile of work on Dwell, he moved busily, checking the progress of the tasks he had given to his subordinates, giving new orders, and so on.
And finally,
[Good, then I'll assume you'll proceed accordingly.]
[This girl… will do her best…]
Hans finished everything, including his work with Olivia, and then quietly disappeared from the Immortal Fortress.
To finish what he was doing on Earth.
But there were those who maintained their usual peace even after the storm had passed…
Crackle—!
"…Wow, this is too much."
"Oh! This is fun. Is there anything more difficult, Riley?"
It was Princess Riley and Hesperon, who were confined to the residential area of the Immortal Fortress and solely focused on magic training.
Riley shook her head with a hollow laugh, looking at the ice flowers that had bloomed magnificently on the garden floor.
It had been almost two months since she was captured and imprisoned here, and over a month since Hesperon became a new resident.
And the words she had just unconsciously uttered were what had become her catchphrase for the past month.
It had become so ingrained that it just came out habitually.
"Heron, do you know what you just did?"
"Huh? Did I do something wrong?"
"…No, it's not exactly wrong. It's just that you just surpassed the level I achieved after over ten years. And in just a little over a month."
"Huh?"
Riley sighed again, looking at him blinking blankly.
The situation was different from when she was surpassed by Isea in less than a month when she was eleven years old.
'It's been eight years since then… And I couldn't even hold out for a few more days than Seah?'
And that was the time it took to teach him everything she knew, even the knowledge she had only learned theoretically because she lacked talent for magic.
And it wasn't even like they had access to magic books or magic tools that could help with training, unlike back then!
'Ah… I'm glad I didn't work hard at magic. My heart would have been broken if I was surpassed like this after working hard for all those years.'
As the princess was trying to rationalize and calm herself,
Hesperon was staring blankly at the message that appeared before his eyes.
《The individual gains enlightenment through repeated training. You have acquired the skill "Introduction to Magic".》
'As expected, the theoretical level is high. Even this appeared.'
Princess Riley's level as a mage wasn't that high because of her limited talent, but the teachings she received as an imperial princess couldn't be of a low level.
And since she was intelligent, her memory was also good, so there was no way her knowledge would be distorted, so it wasn't strange for her to have acquired this skill.
"Whew, well, it's fine. I'm not a real mage anyway… I just learned it as a hobby… I'm going to be the Emperor… no matter what anyone says…"
"Ah— Of course, Riley. So calm down."
"Honorifics!"
She frowned and grumbled, and he immediately reacted.
The two of them started bickering again.
But it was all a setup to emphasize Hesperon's unfamiliarity with the class system, as an innocent otherworldly young man.
She didn't know how much she knew about Earthlings, but she had to prepare in advance, just in case the other Earthling… Isea, heard about it and felt a sense of dissonance.
'Right, it's about time to move on to the next stage. …The princess's escape scenario.'
It seemed like they had become close enough for Riley to comfortably address him, as per the original plan, and he had even taken his first step as a proper mage, so he had gained everything he could for now.
It was a shame that she wasn't interested in summoning magic and didn't learn it properly this time, but there would be plenty of opportunities later if he stayed by the princess's side.
Actually, he could learn it right away if he used Hans, but since Hesperon had contacted the princess as an awakened one from Earth, he needed justification to become stronger.
'Now… how… Huh?'
As he was continuing his thoughts,
He momentarily hesitated, seeing a message that suddenly appeared before his eyes at an unexpected timing.
《Achievement unlocked! You have started to walk the 'Path of Salvation' to save the world.》
《Over half of the living intelligent beings in the Auterica Dimension are aware of your struggle against evil. You are granted the perk "In the Hero's Footsteps" as a reward.》
《You have achieved a feat that has greatly impacted the world. Karma increases further.》
Of course,
The message appeared before the hero 'Heinrich Saint Landguard', not the novice mage Hesperon.