Irregular (3)

“Welcome.”

As soon as we stepped inside the tower, a row of waiting servants greeted us.

The journey here had been nothing short of rough, yet the treatment changed completely the moment we entered.

“Wh-Wow…”

Kisea looked around with wide eyes. She seemed awkward, as if such hospitality was utterly foreign to her.

‘Well, that’s understandable.’

According to the profile I’d read, she had lived deep in the mountains since childhood.

In the original story, her first real experience with society came after she accidentally encountered Fabian while tracking the Mercenary King Sehenz.

[But why was she after Sehenz? Was there some special connection?]

‘Not especially. She was just trying to challenge the Seven Heroes.’

Had Count Ribina not died, the Seven Heroes Convocation would never have been held.

In other words, to become one of the Seven Heroes, you have to challenge one and take their place.

And for challengers, the easiest target was the Mercenary King Sehenz, who held the seventh seat.

‘So, that’s the lot of those at the bottom.’

Shortly after, guided by the servants, we arrived in a hall with a long row of tables.

Sitting down, I scanned the faces of those already at the table.

‘All Sword Masters or mages above the seventh class.’

Among them, the most striking was a beastkin with tiger ears on his head.

That was Teo, the son of the beastkin chief who had fled with one of the Seven Swords Under Heaven.

As expected, he was here to participate in the Seven Heroes Convocation.

I glanced at the sword hanging from his waist.

‘That’s the All-War Sword, Epion…’

I’d expected it to have incredible abilities, as one of the Seven Swords Under Heaven, but now that I saw its profile with my own eyes, it was truly impressive.

A sword capable of changing its form in a variety of ways.

The name All-War Sword (萬武劍) was a perfect representation of its abilities.

[It is an amazing power, but doesn’t seem all that special?]

‘Epion’s true worth is revealed only when it’s absorbed by Genova.’

The other Seven Swords Under Heaven were incredibly powerful on their own, but Epion only revealed its real value when merged with Genova.

From the start, to be recognized by Epion, one had to already possess Genova.

In other words, the All-War Sword was a sword among the Seven Swords Under Heaven that only I could fully wield.

‘For now, it’s just a pretty tough sword.’

As if sensing my gaze, Teo’s eyes found mine. He twisted his face in displeasure at my stare.

“Are you the one who owns the Divine Sword?”

Teo’s voice broke the peculiar silence that had fallen over the meal, drawing every eye, including mine, to him.

“Yes, it’s the same one you stole and ran off with.”

“How do you know that…?”

“I stopped by the beastkin village before coming here.”

At my words, everyone present looked a little surprised.

It was only natural—Lavantara was a place that generally forbade entry to humans.

“A human like you went to our village? And I’m supposed to believe that?”

I clicked my tongue at Teo’s aggressive, growling manner.

‘Does he not read the room?’

A Swordmaster is revered among all knights—a pinnacle to aspire to.

But that’s only by normal standards. For those gathered here, being a Swordmaster was the bare minimum.

Yet, oblivious to that fact, Teo was radiating his energy without restraint, only making his lack of depth more apparent.

“No manners—how beastly. To make a scene at the table.”

An elderly man, slowly slicing his meat with a knife, muttered quietly. From his attire, you almost might mistake this place for a banquet hall.

Teo shot to his feet at the old man’s comment.

But it was just for a moment—when the other nine people turned their attention to him, he slowly sat back down.

He’d finally realized it.

That, here, he was by no means the strongest.

[Couldn’t you just hold out your bracelet and get the sword easily?]

‘Maybe. He could just hand it over…’

But I didn’t want to end things so simply—I just didn’t like that Teo guy all that much.

He acted childishly without the slightest sense of responsibility, and it seemed someone should teach him what that meant.

‘Even if I destroy the sword in a pathetic end, I can still take it from him.’

Grancesia seemed to agree, offering a light chuckle.

[Yeah, that’s the surest way. If you just show him the bracelet and he runs off, that would be troublesome, right? Still, you’d better be careful with that old man and a few others.]

‘I know.’

That old man, rascal Vermilio.

He was the duke of the Kingdom of Pherente—known as the strongest in Pherente.

When word spread of the upcoming Seven Heroes Convocation, he was singled out by many as a leading candidate.

‘There are way too many people to be wary of.’

I looked over a few others.

Most were people whose names I’d only heard in passing, but a few were completely unexpected.

‘A Holy Knight of Setram…’

Generally, holy Knights of Setram do not get involved in worldly affairs.

Of course, it makes sense for someone of the Seven Heroes caliber to attract interest, but what bothered me was a note listed in his special trait.

==

Special trait: Inquisitor, ranked second in Altair Order, who dies by the sword of an enraged Fabian.

Currently assigned by the pontiff to watch over Clay Vanhart.

==

‘That is way too suspicious.’

There were way too many red flags.

But above all, the title ‘Inquisitor’ meant he held a prominent position, even within the order.

Being the second-highest in rank, and specifically tasked to monitor me, made it impossible not to worry.

‘Wait, what did I do wrong?’

I had no business with the Altair Order, yet they put an Inquisitor on me.

[That’s fishy. I don’t like those guys.]

‘But you’re the Saintess of the Altair Order, aren’t you?’

[That’s just in name. When I was young, I believed in such gods, but not anymore.]

I wondered if a priest using the power of a god could really say something like that.

Was it possible to use holy power without believing in the God Altair?

[Holy power doesn’t always need to borrow strength from something else. The source can be anyone.]

It was complicated, but somehow it made sense when Grancesia said it.

If it were nonsense, then the overabundant holy power flowing from Eye of Shimosha wouldn’t make sense, either.

‘Anyway, I’ll have to be careful.’

I glanced to the side.

There sat Kisea Varundark, nibbling her food like a rabbit.

She looked like a harmless herbivore from the outside, but even she was someone I had to be cautious of.

* * *

“Have you finished eating?”

After the meal, once the servants cleared the tableware, Sehenz reappeared and spoke.

“As you all know, there are two ways to become one of the Seven Heroes. First, you may defeat one of the current Seven Heroes in front of the others. This is still possible at present. In fact, all but two of the Seven Heroes are here right now, so you can choose and challenge them.”

Sehenz grinned, but no one reacted.

“And second: By proving you are worthy of the title through the trials of this Seven Heroes Convocation. But let me be clear—sheer strength alone isn’t enough.”

He tapped his head and chest as he spoke.

“You must also possess wisdom and character. Bearing the title of Hero means exactly that.”

“Is that really necessary? I heard becoming one of the Seven Heroes is simply a measure of strength; I’ve never heard that nonsense about character.”

A burly man spoke in clear discomfort.

He wasn’t alone—others seemed to agree with his sentiment.

“Ah, yes, yes, that may be how you see it. However, it’s not true. The Seven Heroes have always considered such things since nearly the very beginning.”

“‘Since nearly the very beginning?’ Shouldn’t that be ‘since the very beginning’?”

“Yes, since the time of Lugal Necris, one of the original Seven Heroes. So, it’s nearly the start.”

At the mention of Lugal Necris, I almost coughed in surprise—I hadn’t expected that name to come up here.

“Lugal Necris did some truly terrible things in his era. Ever since then, the Seven Heroes have watched out for such people. If someone that vile arises… the Seven Heroes gather and put them down.”

“… That’s actually happened?”

“Yes. They don’t announce it to the world, but it has happened.”

Sehenz’s tone was light, but his words were terrifying.

If someone corrupted in nature appeared, the rest of the Seven Heroes gathered here would try to take them down.

As the room buzzed with murmurs, Sehenz raised his hand and clapped loudly.

“Very well, since no one has challenged a current Hero, we’ll proceed.”

“So, we’ll be doing this Hero’s trial, then? But, really, wouldn’t it be simpler just to fight everyone here and see who wins?”

“We could do that, but it’s a bit mundane, isn’t it? That’ll be the last option—if there are four of you remaining, we’ll hold that match then.”

By ‘if four remain,’ he essentially meant he would whittle down the other eight.

With a mischievous grin, Sehenz faced us.

“So, the first trial will be tomorrow morning. Make sure you’re ready.”

With that, Sehenz quickly exited.

Some people looked uncomfortable at his careless demeanor, but no one complained; their minds were on the trial ahead.

* * *

The next morning.

Welcoming the twelve participants was not Sehenz, but Restia.

After calling us to the front of the tower, she held up an object.

“This is the Mark of the Hero. Bring it back to me, and you pass.”

In her hand was a round stone embedded with a spirit stone. She attached each one to an arrow and nocked her bow.

There were eight in total.

“As you can see, there are eight marks. It’s simple: if you don’t bring one back, you go home.”

Simple rules, but by that token, all the more challenging.

It wasn’t just about finding the marks—you also had to survive any confrontations with the other competitors.

‘A duel would be better.’

I clicked my tongue and kept my eyes on Restia.

Thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip!

Even the word ‘rapid-fire’ was too slow to describe how swiftly she shot the arrows.

Two at a time, the arrows, each carrying a mark, scattered in every direction.

If any ordinary person had seen those arrows vanish in a flash, they would have wondered just how anyone could ever find them.

But the people here were all warriors representing their nations.

The instant they were loosed, everyone—except me and Kisea—dashed off in various directions.

“Uh… aren’t you going?”

Kisea asked.

“I will.”

Ian was already gone, having run ahead.

“Why aren’t you going?”

I asked.

“I-I don’t like this kind of competition… I’d rather take my time,” she replied, trembling.

I gave a wry chuckle.

‘A girl given the title of Rakshasa (羅刹), scared of some competition?’

That was the nickname listed in her special trait.

If you read her profile, you’d know Kisea wasn’t a main heroine for nothing.

Among the women connected to Fabian, Kisea was by far the strongest.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep