EP.206

“What—what the hell?!”

“Oh my, how rude. Are you spitting on the food?”

“What the—!! What the hell is this—!!?”

Isabelle, with trembling hands, pointed fingers wildly at Elpheira and Ivan.

“What is going on right now? Uh-huh. Right, it’s an illusion. E-E-Ecdysis, hit me just once!”

“Calm down.”

“Calm down?! Am I out of my mind?! O-Okay, this uncle wasn’t originally this kind of character!! What’s going on? What, what’s happening?”

“There’s a reason.”

It was merely to ensure meals for a poor elf war refugee who had tragically become an orphan and was made a refugee due to the war that broke out in Kalion (since Elpheira came as a refugee).

He declared that he wouldn’t put anything in his mouth unless it was hand-fed to him, but there was really no other way.

“I’m sorry. So sorry! So-sorry! Ahahaha!”

Elpheira took out a fan from somewhere and opened it wide as she burst into a commanding laugh. As a picture-perfect example of a villainous noble, Eugene couldn’t help but admire her.

“Y-You, you, you—.”

“Degenerative disease has set in, Isabelle. Calm down a little—.”

“It’s not! You’re making it impossible to calm down!”

The good Isabelle inside of her fell into panic while the dark Isabelle began to regress. In other words, the Isabelle administration had declared a withdrawal from governance.

Boasting of being a dark chef, all she was doing was “capturing them with gochujang prepared diligently over the vacation.” So, she had just cooked diligently, very much, and for a long time.

Was this the price for that? A mediocre scheme that couldn’t surpass moderation would inevitably crumble without direction.

Ah, was my resolve not enough?

Well, in an emergency situation, extraordinary measures are required.

For now, it seems I need to feed that elf.

“Brother, Isabelle’s eyes are going wild!”

“Oh Goddess, let Your anger sing.”

“Ecdysis’s eyes are going wild too?”

Ivan sighed deeply as he glanced over the crazed hero party.

“Did we eat enough?”

“Uh? It doesn’t look like there’s a mood for more eating, is there?”

“Then let’s clear up and have a meeting. It’s not suitable to talk about during a meal, so it’s actually a good thing.”

“Just one more bite! Ah!”

“You can replenish your nutrients with mana. Elpheira.”

Ivan pressed Elpheira’s mouth shut once again and stood up. Elpheira clicked her tongue.

“Follow me.”

“Let’s talk about history for a moment.”

Ivan wrote something on the sheet of paper spread across the table as he spoke.

Isabelle and Ecdysis, who were carelessly seated around the table, were still blank-faced, glancing at Ivan and Elpheira.

Regardless, it was a story that they had no choice but to focus on. Ivan completed his notes without worrying.

– The Tumor of the Mountain

– The Dragon of Sorrow’s Abiditas

– The Evil Pernich

“Two of the Seven Warlords killed by the hero party ten years ago, and Abiditas, who died four years ago. A total of three of the Seven Warlords are dead.”

No matter how chaotic it may seem, I had no choice but to regain my composure in this story. It was about our fathers and a history that couldn’t be casually dismissed.

In the atmosphere that had finally calmed down, Ivan continued his words.

“So, there are a total of four remaining warlords.”

– The Ruler, Tanashimor

– Lamerix of the Veil

– Olega of the Great Rift

– Nekinon of Gold

“Among these, the only one with a clearly known location is Olega, who has not moved a single time since the war era beyond the northern magical beast territory.”

This information belonged to military secrets that civilians could not access. It was common knowledge that most of the warlords were either dead or had self-destructed.

In the past, a single warlord had trampled two countries. It was a time when no one dared to oppose the warlords until the hero party emerged.

Even after defeating the Demon King and passing that era, if it were announced that most of the warlords were still alive, it would definitely lead to chaos among the civilians.

All leaders of the United Kingdom willingly concealed information about the warlords. As long as the hero party was alive, those individuals could never invade under the magical beast territory.

Those who believe themselves to be gods never gamble their longevity. As long as there exists a being that can kill a god within the United Kingdom, the warlords, who have no unifying center like the Demon King, will never join forces.

To put that another way…

“This means they have no reason to hold back any longer.”

The room held its breath at Ivan’s gaze. A foul stench of poison and dryness, reminiscent of iron and gunpowder, heavily lingered in the space between words.

The current peace was like walking on thin ice.

“Maximilian has disappeared, Jill Ber and Veolgrin are dead, and Einar cannot leave Drovian. Since Patricia has lost her divine power, it means there is no longer an active hero party equivalent to an immediate force, aside from Enrique.”

And even that Enrique cannot face the warlords alone. Her specialty is not direct combat.

Therefore, it implies that there is now no one left in the United Kingdom to directly counter the warlords.

And…

“Yujin. Continue explaining.”

“Just before the divine power disappeared, the Lord delivered the final revelation.”

Could it even be called a revelation? Yujin still didn’t want to hastily refer to her status window as divine.

Evils, madness, or amusement. Such emotions stood vividly, as if mocking this entire situation as mere play.

What does “service termination” mean? What about the quest?

It signifies a great game board observing the pawns created within their own system. Like a classic tabletop game where dice are rolled and pieces are moved.

However, there was no explanation more fitting than calling them gods, and I couldn’t think of one no matter how hard I tried.

“A few weeks ago, I consulted with the Saint about the revelation I received. This was during the time when Ivan was unable to awaken. The Saint interpreted the revelation as…”

In the midst of a doctrine war, Patricia is in danger.

In the revelation of warriors turned stars, Einar encounters a crisis.

In the prelude to great ruin, Enrique…

In the revelation of the Morning Star, Maximilian…

“In other words, the Lord was hinting at the deaths of all the ancestors… or a crisis equivalent to that. It may be a rude story, but even before the deaths of Archduke Etakrih and Lord Grykencos, such foresight was given…”

“Does that mean it refers to something inevitable that will happen in the future?”

“Yes, you could see it that way.”

Ecdysis lowered her head gravely. They were all parents of everyone present at this gathering. It did not just signify the ‘deterrent against the Seven Warlords’; it meant the death of the parents.

Thus, the party could only bite their lips in a murky emotion mixed with fear and despair. Until now, the prophecies had never been wrong.

“Lift your heads.”

Ivan heavily pounded the table. After gathering everyone’s gazes, he slowly continued speaking.

“I have a different opinion from Patricia. It is too early to despair.”

“Y-yes…? Brother, but…?”

“Just as the Saint has her methods, I have mine. Eugene, does dealing with quests, that is, prophecies, necessarily have to be self-fulfilling?”

At Ivan’s words, Eugene flinched and closed his mouth.

That’s right. Quests did not merely present results and objectives. They suggested numerous auxiliary goals and secondary objectives simultaneously, showing the direction of the quest.

Strictly speaking, quests are not prophecies. They are closer to ‘achievable scenarios.’

They are not futures that will inevitably happen… but merely labels for potential disasters that may come.

In fact, when he first encountered Ivan, he had received a quest to eliminate Ivan and survive. And back then, because he had done nothing, the quest had canceled on its own.

In other words, it is independent of the subject’s actions or judgments… which means the results are not predetermined.

In intense shock, Eugene stared wide-eyed at Ivan. Ivan also nodded.

“Yes. Most problems can be resolved by removing their causes. Before issues escalate, we will proactively eliminate anything that might serve as a cause.”

Ivan placed his hand back on the notes on the table.

“In the United Kingdom, what more could there be apart from the threat of death equivalent to that faced by the previous hero party?”

Aside from the Seven Warlords, there was none. At least, there had to be a threat equivalent to the Seven Warlords.

A large-scale ambush that would be impossible to deal with could also happen, like in the case of Jill Ver. However, unlike Jill Ver, who had been unable to wield any power within Tylesse and had succumbed to political infighting, the remaining individuals were the core of their respective nations.

There was no reason for them to face a large army alone. Therefore, the approach of this ‘certain crisis’ can be predicted.

It mirrors the method the hero party used to deal with the Demon King. In other words, it is assassination.

A concentrated strike by a small number of strong individuals. To assassinate the hero party, at least an opponent of that level should appear.

There is no one else aside from the Seven Warlords.

“The whereabouts of the remaining three, excluding Olega, is unknown. And…”

“The remaining former hero party is exactly three, isn’t it…?”

“Yes. I do not consider this a coincidence.”

Einar, Enrique, Patricia. The remaining hero party thus consists of three.

Tanashimor, Lamerix, Nekinon. The remaining Seven Warlords also consist of three.

As if the world were coordinated with malice, like an exact fit in a stencil.

Light glimmered in the eyes of the hero party as they gazed at the notes alongside Ivan.

“We will now proactively strike and eliminate these three.”

After all the Seven Warlords are dead, who would dare threaten the hero party?

Within the United Kingdom, there is no one who could do so, and the demons of the Magical Beast’s Territory would lose the minimal motivation needed to wage war.

Yes, this is the only strategy that can promise enduring peace.

Regardless of the lack or sufficiency of abilities, without discussing possibility and impossibility.

What is needed… yes, is merely determination. As it has always been.

“From now on, I will prepare to pinpoint the location of the Seven Warlords. Eugene, stick to the plan of the Saint and assist her. We might need a multifaceted approach.”

“Yes, brother.”

“Ecdysis. Get in touch with the homeland and assess the situation.”

“Yes, uncle.”

“Isabelle.”

“Yes.”

Ivan took a moment to choose his words. After a brief pause, he spoke heavily.

“Steady your heart. I cannot assure you of the condition of Maximilian… your father.”

“I… have already made my determination at the funeral of Grand Duke Ethacrich.”

Maximilian killed Jill Ber. I cannot guarantee his current condition, but at the very least, it is certain that he did not assist Jill Ber.

So, Isabelle quietly closed her eyes.

“Father would wish for that too.”

“Indeed. He would. If it’s Max.”

If it’s that morning star of a man…

The man who bore the curse of the Demon King and the Seven Warlords alone. The man who, for the past ten years, has endured without faltering.

He would smile even before death. As always, he would smile brightly and say:

“I’m glad.”

In a peace built upon the countless corpses of virtuous men, he was the man who, instead of speaking to the dead, said to the survivors, “I’m glad you are alive.”

Bearing all curses alone, even in moments when his soul was sullied.

“I’m glad to suffer this pain alone.”

He would say that with a smile. Therefore, when we meet again someday, if I must confront him, he will surely say that.

“It’s good to pause here.”

Without expressing anger or despair over his death and corruption. Holding only hope.

He finished preparations to bid farewell to an old friend. As he always did.

Ivan quietly nodded, then gently pressed Isabelle’s head down and patted it while whispering.

“Well done.”

While it was familiar to him, it would not have been so for her. How many days had she spent in pain until she could summon such determination? To kill the man everyone admired, whom she herself respected, to kill her parents.

So, Ivan quietly patted the sobbing Isabelle and closed his eyes.

“Well done.”

At least in the realm of the mind, the Hero Party is as formidable as it was back then.

*

On the way back to the orphanage, Elpheira silently followed Ivan for a long time.

Before long, they had reached the outskirts of Prichenkaya. When she caught sight of the orphanage’s walls in the distance while passing familiar roads, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Carefully, she opened her mouth towards the silently moving Ivan.

“Ivan.”

Stopping in the shadow of the dim streetlight, Ivan slowly turned his head.

“About me. The food has been so bad; I’ve gone ten days without eating.”

“Yeah.”

Elpheira kicked at the ground under the streetlight as she continued her words.

“I’m so hungry, but whenever I put something in my mouth, it makes me feel nauseous. I absolutely can’t eat anything. It’s like… I’d rather mix sand and feces to eat.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And so… at that time, I had that thought.”

Elpheira’s eyes turned towards Ivan. She spoke while looking at his shadowy, dimly glowing blue eyes.

“I’m like this now, just barely touching the milestone.”

What about the man who directly plunged the sword into that being and cut off its breath?

If that man were to rise again, how would he see the world?

It’s so sad. The destruction of Kalion… For someone who is merely human, not even an elf, to throw himself into danger and sacrifice his life to fight desperately, only to achieve this result.

If this is all there is to show for it, with no compensation, only bearing a curse.

The absurdity of it all made Elpheira weep endlessly until Ivan awoke.

It was a time too harsh for the starving elf. Weeks passed where she fainted, woke up to drink a sip of water, attempted to eat soup only to retch it all out, and then fainted again while sobbing.

“Don’t try to do everything alone. We… came together to fight. We gathered to save the world together.”

“Elpheira.”

If everyone shared the burden of the curse, then yes. The burden would be a little lighter.

But that would only result in four more individuals falling into despair.

There’s a threshold to despair. Diminishing returns exist. No tragedy can be worse than death. In other words, there is clearly a limit to the pain one person can endure.

So that means, no matter how many curses one takes on, it is clearly more rational for one person to bear it than for everyone to share the suffering.

If the soul is already tainted by killing the Seven Warlords, how much difference would it make if another layer is added on top?

Even Maximilian killed the Seven Warlords with that mindset. And if anyone from the hero party had recognized that curse by being the first to kill the Warlord, they would have acted the same way.

Because it was the most rational thing to do.

And he killed Abiditas. His soul was already corrupted, and he had fundamentally broken down since that day. So…

“It’s late.”

Without needing to explain such words, he smiled and gently pushed her into the orphanage entrance.

“Let’s have breakfast together tomorrow morning.”

Elpheira stared at his dried-up smile for a long time before quietly nodding and turning around.

A damp sob could be heard behind her.

*

Author’s Note: I’m sorry for the missed update yesterday! I will make up for it on Saturday…!! I packed all my apologies tightly! It’s very reassuring!

I once mentioned that when I explain the Seven Warlords, I drew inspiration from the Seven Deadly Sins. Now, after over 200 chapters, I’m finally happy to reveal all remaining Seven Warlords! Some of you may have already caught on to the remaining details from the context so far!!