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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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It was the fourth day since we arrived in the Lodreim Kingdom.
There had been some hiccups, like Yousera catching Elsie and me about to wrestle on the first day, but we managed to smooth things over. The mission was more important, anyway.
“The kingdom is bright again today”
Elsie commented as we left the inn, just the two of us. Yousera, cooped up in the inn for days, was getting restless.
“I… I want to go out too…”
But she calmed down after some coaxing.
“Just a few more days.”
“Okay. And I’ll bring back something delicious today.”
“Really?”
Yousera, who had been on the verge of tears, immediately cheered up. I felt a little bad for her, but even without the isolation decree, Sack wasn’t viewed favorably in Lodreim, so it couldn’t be helped.
Besides, we had an important destination today.
‘Speaking of which…’
I overheard whispers on the street. Elsie might not have heard them, but my abnormally sharp hearing picked them up clearly.
“The Masked Hero… isn’t he amazing? They say he appears out of thin air.”
“I wonder what he looks like.”
“I heard he has blonde hair.”
“Huh? But in the fairytale, he has black hair.”
Libero’s original version had a blonde Masked Hero, but somewhere along the way, Elsie’s version had become black-haired. That wasn’t important, though.
‘The rumors are spreading nicely.’
Using the Masked Hero, the protagonist of a famous Lodreim Kingdom fairytale, was a good idea. The man I rescued on the first day being a gossip also helped.
I’d been carefully, yet steadily, building my reputation as the Masked Hero.
‘However…’
Not everyone viewed the Masked Hero favorably. Most adults, excluding children, disliked him.
“Isn’t he just a crazy criminal? I heard the person he first saved was also a criminal. He claimed he was innocent, but who would believe that?”
“Exactly. And they say he only operates at night. I’m worried about the children learning from him.”
Their reactions weren’t wrong, and I’d anticipated them. In fact, I’d wanted this reaction. The Masked Hero from the fairytale I knew wasn’t universally loved.
‘The Masked Hero plan is going well. Time for the next operation.’
This next operation was separate from the Masked Hero plan, but equally crucial for our overall success.
Walking down Lodreim Kingdom’s brightly lit streets, I finally arrived at my destination. A fairly large building, though quite old and weathered. A faded flag bearing a red rose hung on the outer wall.
“Is this the place?” Elsie asked.
“Yes, this is your master’s family home.”
This was the Reedval Residence, and also, the enemy knights’ base. As Elsie and I approached the main gate, two guards blocked our path.
“State your business.”
“I am Hero Seo Yoo-rang, here to see the head of the family.”
The guards immediately bowed upon learning my identity. I hadn’t intended for that, but a Hero of the Church outranked the guards of a declining Reedval family.
“My apologies, Hero. I will inform the head of the family of your arrival.”
My business. I couldn’t tell the guards my true purpose. I’d use the other reason I’d prepared.
“Tell her that a student of the Rose Knight Gwen Reedval has arrived with news.”
I glanced at Elsie. The guard’s eyes widened, first at Gwen’s name, then at the mention of Elsie being her student.
“Understood!”
He hurried inside and returned shortly with the head of the Reedval family.
“Welcome, Heroes.”
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Inside the residence, we quietly followed the head of the family. Her flowing red hair was almost the same color as Gwen’s. But there was a significant difference between them.
‘She’s mature.’
While young for a head of family, perhaps in her thirties, her physique was far more developed than Gwen’s, despite them being from the same Reedval family.
‘Where are we going?’
She led us to a garden in the center of the residence, equipped with training dummies and wooden swords, likely used by the soldiers and knights. She picked up a wooden sword.
“You said that young lady is Gwen’s student?”
Before I could grasp the situation, she pointed the sword at us.
“Would you care to draw your sword?”
I finally understood. Elsie seemed to have realized it too. She looked at me, and I nodded.
“Alright.”
Elsie picked up a wooden sword, took a stance, and addressed the head of the family.
“Whenever you’re ready.”
“Very well.”
The head of the family lunged at Elsie, wielding the sword not in Gwen’s modified style, but in the traditional Reedval swordsmanship.
-Clang
But it was still the same basic style, and Elsie easily parried the attack.
‘The Reedval swordsmanship, indeed.’
It was characterized by a flurry of attacks in quick succession. Even after her initial attack was blocked, the head of the family continued to press her assault. But the attacks were ineffective.
There was an insurmountable gap in skill between Elsie and the head of the family, regardless of their stats. After deflecting all of the head’s attacks, Elsie smoothly transitioned to the offensive, giving her opponent time to switch to defense.
Whoosh
My modified version would have been more effective in this offensive, but Elsie used Gwen’s style.
It was a style the head of the family recognized, and since Elsie was holding back, she managed to block the first attack. But that was all. She couldn’t block the next one.
“Is this enough?”
Elsie asked, withdrawing her wooden sword.
The head of the family smiled.
“You truly are Gwen’s student.”
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In the reception room, which was surprisingly tidy compared to the building’s exterior, the head of the family served us tea.
“I apologize for my earlier behavior.”
“It’s alright. Such vigilance is a virtue for a knight commander and head of the family.”
I meant it. I would have been disappointed if she’d simply accepted us without question. She seemed to sense my sincerity and smiled as she set down the cup.
“Please, enjoy.”
Elsie and I raised our cups. Elsie, utilizing her Court Etiquette skill, looked quite elegant. I, on the other hand, probably looked ridiculous, being a country bumpkin.
‘But I know I’m supposed to smell the tea first.’
I confidently inhaled the steam… and promptly started coughing. Elsie shot me a look of exasperation.
“Ahem…”
The head of the family couldn’t suppress a chuckle.
“Oh, I apologize. My manners…”
“No, it’s my fault.”
It was my fault for sticking my nose into the cup and inhaling the hot steam. I set down my cup, and the head of the family spoke.
“It reminded me of when my older sister first learned how to drink tea.”
Older sister?
“Speaking of which, you said you came to tell me about my sister?”
I finally understood who she meant.
‘So, the head of the family is Gwen’s younger sister.’
But it didn’t make sense. Unlike Gwen, who was petite, her sister was a mature woman. They were sisters, but one bore the rose mark, and the other didn’t.
“Yes, she will tell you about Gwen.”
I gestured towards Elsie. The head of the family’s gaze shifted to Elsie.
“You’ve certainly mastered my sister’s swordsmanship.”
Her expression was complex, a mixture of joy, sorrow, and perhaps other emotions.
But Elsie remained composed as she spoke about Gwen: how she became Gwen’s student, how strong Gwen had become, where she was headed, and most importantly, whether she’d found the Rose Sword.
When she finished, the head of the family nodded.
“I see. So, my sister still hasn’t found the Rose Sword.”
She seemed resigned. It was understandable, considering Gwen, always in a hurry, had taken on a student, suggesting she might have given up on the sword. But having spoken with Gwen directly, I knew that wasn’t the case.
“No, she took on a student to train someone who could inherit the Rose Sword and her swordsmanship, for her child.”
She hadn’t given up.
“And she has, in fact, already found the Rose Sword.”
Or rather, I would find it for her as soon as the Lodreim Kingdom situation was resolved. The head of the family looked at me suspiciously.
“Forgive me, but what is your relationship with my sister, Hero…?”
The pretense of delivering news about Gwen was over. It was time to get down to business. But first, I had to tell her something.
“Let me clarify. I am High-Ranking Hero Allen Blake, a comrade of Gwen’s.”
She probably wouldn’t recognize the name, due to the long-standing isolation decree, but the title of High-Ranking Hero carried weight.
“But you probably don’t know who I am, so perhaps another name would be more familiar… the Masked Hero.”
Her eyes widened further.
“And I know you plan to infiltrate the royal palace on Nameless Day.”
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101st Hero Peak