Chapter 245: The Era of Heroes (3)

I was lost in thought that night.

“What should I do?”

This was the question normally playing on loop in my mind, but I said it aloud this time. Back when I was only a Hunter, there were a lot of things I had to think about alone. The Guardian had been my only counselor. Because this was the life of a Hunter, I never considered myself lonely. But now it was different.

Estelle looked down at the field and answered, “I believe a comprehensive intervention is necessary, Patriarch.”

I was no longer just a Hunter, but a clan patriarch. Monologues were no longer necessary. After the cold moonlight fell, we sat around in a dry clearing and talked.

“Comprehensive intervention?” the Ghost Demon King asked.

Estelle replied, “The OJP Sect Master is using People Possession to play multiple heroes at once. From the perspective of the people in this world, this is no different from using a god’s power at will and favoring Skians. It’s unfair. To handle this kind of matter, we have no choice but to use expediency.”

“

Hmm.

”

I, the patriarch, sat in the center, with Estelle on my right as the advisor and heiress apparent. Chief Warrior Uburka sat on the left, crouching despite his huge size. Head Steward Sylvia Evanail was standing upright, and Kim Yul, the clan shadow, was sitting across from me and quietly skimming through his notebook.

The clan leadership was surrounded by the Four Demon Kings and by the followers of the Heavenly Demon Cult. All the clan members held their breaths as they listened to the meeting.

The moon bathed the land with its light. We, the Death King Clan, stayed buried under the darkness.

“Well, sending in Chief Warrior Uburka alone will be enough to bring down the Skian army,” Sylvia Evanail said flatly. “Can’t you purchase Person Possessiooooon? Just buy a few of those. Actually, you just need two. Let Advisor Estelle and Clan Shadow Kim Yul take care of the rest. The advisor can fire some laser beams, and the clan shadow can knock the Skians in one hit when he forgets the memory of the coffee from last niiiiiiight.”

“Do you have a problem with me? Why are you whining like that?”

“A prooooooblem? How could I? I, Sylvia Evanail, am filled with nothing but loyalty for you, Heavenly Patriarch. My loyalty will persist like the cockroaches that infest the feed warehouse in the summer.”

Her loyalty was very unpleasant.

“Regardless of her tone, the head steward’s suggestion is useless,” Kim Yul said quietly.

Sylvia’s eyebrows shot into her hairline. “Useless? How?”

“Because winning isn’t important here. A landslide victory is simple, the patriarch already knows this. That’s why he asked what he should do, not how he should win.”

Using the moon as a source of light, Kim Yul flipped through his notebook pages. The gaze that resembled newborn stars was soon on me.

“But his statement is also contradictory. Before asking about the possible measures, I request you set a clearer purpose, Patriarch.”

I smoothed my chin. “Purpose...”

“That’s right. As you told this so-called sect master, is your goal to keep the casualties minimal in this war? If so, there would be no answer other than comprehensive intervention. Nevertheless, you’re reluctant to go ahead with that. This means you have another purpose and are weighing out the two goals.”

Kim Yul’s voice also resembled starlight. I knew he wasn’t going to pressure me into going with his suggestion.

“You regard the Terras as your children. Just as parents worry about what would be the best education for their children, you worry about the Terras in the same way. For that reason, you’ve been refraining from intervening with the Terras’ affairs as much as possible. You only stepped in when your species was in danger of going extinct. But even if the Skians started this war, it seems like the Terras wished for it as well.”

Kim Yul looked up at Sylvia, then at me.

“This is not a war over resources, but a war of honor among fighters. You’re wondering if it’s okay to intervene, yes?”

I sighed. Raviel’s ancestor knew exactly what was going on in the corner of my heart.

The Sword Demon King shrugged. “I see. They’re going to get pissed off when a third party butts in while they’re all worked up for a good round of battle. I understand them.”

Estelle rested her chin on her palm. “Even if we disregard the deputy warrior’s disrespectful words, it’s uncertain whether our intervention can educate the Terras or not anyway. We need to determine if it’s okay to give them the impression that their god will intervene whenever a problem arises.”

I turned to look at Uburka, who seemed unfazed. “What do you think, Chief Warrior?”

“

Ugor

, my thoughts are the same as yours, Patriarch.”

I nodded and took my hand off my chin. “We are strong, so we will be able to end this war without killing a single Skian or Terra. But I’m not the Tower master.”

If this war was consensual and the agreement included accepting whatever the outcome would be...

“The right move is to ask the children first.”

The vassals who had been discussing the matter fell silent and looked at me, waiting for my command.

“Chief Warrior,” I said.

“

Ugor.

”

“You are the only one among us who is from this world. Since you’re also a legend from history, the Terras will talk to you. Go and ask the chairman of the Fire Water Council if they want our help or not. ”

Uburka grinned and clenched his fists. “

Ugor

, that is what I’ve been waiting for. Just wait. I’ll go ask.”

Thud.

When Uburka got up, the surrounding area shook. Of course, Kim Yul, Estelle, and even Sylvia remained still.

“

Bwhahaha

!”

Uburka seemed to be in a good mood. He crossed the field while laughing boisterously, his destination none other than the Terra camp, where tents spread out cozily. A horn sounded off in the distance, likely an alert. Well, a warrior the size of a mountain was charging toward them out of nowhere. Even the Terras would be nervous in such a situation.

Soon, a commotion could be heard from the camp.

“Do you think it’ll be okay?” Estelle asked with worry in her eyes.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I haven’t known Chief Warrior Uburka for a long time, but I’m concerned he might be too hot-headed to be a diplomatic envoy.”

“It’s easy to take your younger brother for an ignorant person who only thinks about fighting, but he’s more thoughtful than you think.”

Estelle hesitated after I called Uburka her younger brother. She wasn’t used to it, and it would take her a while to get used to it. “My younger brother?”

“You are my eldest daughter, and Uburka is my second son. Of course, you two are siblings, so you'd better get used to it quickly. Though you will call each other Chief Warrior and Advisor in formal situations.”

“That’s nonsense, Father!” Estelle countered, dropping my formal title. She hunched over to whisper in my ear, “How can I treat such a big goblin like my younger brother? H-How? I never had any siblings! I don’t know how to be a sister!”

I stroked her shoulder. “It’s okay. After this stage, more people will join our clan.”

Two people from my distant past would join us. One was Yoo Soo-Ha. The other one used to live outside the Tower until recently.

“The orphanage director is a great guy. All his life, he made children without families feel as if they had one. Whenever you are overwhelmed with worries, go talk to him. You’ll be able to know what to do after you have a chat with him.”

Estelle was quiet.

“Are you nervous?”

“Yes, I am.” She looked down. “Destroying the continent and burning humanity in an inferno was difficult, but I wasn’t nervous back then. I-I’m really not sure if I can be someone else’s sister. What even is a family?”

I squeezed her shoulder once more. “It’s okay. We will become each other’s families. I’m sure of it.”

“But, Father, what if I make a mistake as the eldest sister...”

“If that happens, we can discuss it like we’re doing now. Let’s bring in all the vassals, sit down together, and think carefully about the problem and how to solve it. I know I’m inexperienced as a father, but can you trust me?”

Estelle lowered her head a bit more. Her voice was so quiet that I barely heard her mutter, “Yes. I trust you, Father.

Under the cool moonlight, we sat together, our shoulders touching.

***

Uburka returned later and told us what had gone down. It turned out Estelle was half right and half wrong.

When Uburka arrived at the Terra camp, chaos ensued. From the Terras’ point of view, the legendary general who was thought to be dead popped out of thin air, telling everyone that he was alive. The Terra army plunged into chaos. Amid the chaos, only one person, the chairman of the Fire Water Council, was in proper attire as he welcomed Uburka.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Uburka, the two hundred and twelfth Chairman of the Fire Water Council.”

“I am Kersombok, the six hundred and twenty-seventh Chairman of the Fire Water Council.”

“You don’t look very strong—”

“Compared to you, anyone in this world is a baby, aren’t they?”

Uburka grinned. “If you want help, I’m all ears. I am neither a god nor a divine being. I simply trained to reach the peak of the martial arts and became a little stronger than others. I’m still a Terra and the former chairman of the Fire Water Council, so if you want help, it’s only right to offer you my help.”

The Terras started chattering among themselves.

“Uburka! That fucked up ancestor is helping us?”

“He has the power to tear off a mountain peak and pin it down in the middle of the battlefield. He’s really going to help us?”

“Uger! Let’s accept his offer! Those thorny bastards don’t know their place! We need to teach them a lesson!”

“With that fucked-up ancestor’s help, it’ll be piece of cake! As a matter of fact, we’ll easily dominate the continent and seize control of all ports and all waterways. We, Terras, can establish our empire!”

The chatter became more heated. At one moment, Kersombok said, “Silence.”

Every Terra shut their mouths, and the excitement slowly subsided. Kersombok looked around with shiny blue eyes.

“Let’s say we win and defeat the Skians, but they won’t truly fall at our feet, will they? Their defeat would be solely caused by Ancestor Uburka. If we conquer the continent with our ancestor at the forefront, then will that be the Terras’ empire? Or will it belong to Ancestor Uburka?

“The White lion always worried about us and helped us. Nevertheless, he always asked us to call him his friend because he thought that friendship was the most beautiful aspect about the relationship between him and us.”

Chairman Kersombok was a middle-aged man with handsome muscles. The muscles built up in his youth made him look quite sturdy, and his age served as foundation for wisdom. Standing between youth and old age, the chairman spoke like a nameless high priest in a forgotten temple.

“The White Lion wants us all to be friends. When things are difficult, we support one another. If it’s still too difficult, more of us can join and help. When someone emerges victorious, we compliment them, freely expressing our envy and jealousy to make the winner happy. The loser will dedicate their life to training more so they can become a winner one day. We believe that the life of such a loser is also beautiful, and we consider the loser our friend forever.”

For thousands of years, their White Lion Doctrine had never died out. It synced with the speech and resonated with the hearts of warriors. The thousands of Terra warriors listened to the speech of Kersombok, the high priest, with bated breath.

Kersombok looked around at the warriors lined up at his feet. “Terra warriors, are we weak?”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The warriors stomped their feet. The answer was clearly no.

“Are we so pathetic that Ancestor Uburka’s help is essential in defeating those thorny deadwood?”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Are we, the Terras, so pathetically weak that we have to ask the White Lion to descend again to lead and comfort us?”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“That’s right! No!” Kersombok spread his arms. “We don’t need our ancestors’ help, let alone a god’s! We don’t need Uburka or White Lion! Ancestor Uburka, because we believe in our friendship, we too will answer as your friends. Be patient and watch how wonderfully we, the Terra warriors, will defeat the Skian warriors! They will no longer be able to threaten or concern us any longer! Please watch us!”

“Ooooooooo!”

The Terra warriors went berserk, waving their spears and swords around as they cheered.

“We are warriors born and raised by the White Lion!”

“The White Lion is our friend, so what do we have to fear?”

“We are one! We are compatriots! We are the children of the White Lion, who united us as one!”

“We cannot afford to worry him! Don’t let wrinkles form on our White Lion’s forehead!”

Their fighting spirit couldn’t be any stronger, and the last thing on their minds was defeat.

Uburka could only smile bitterly. “Well, well, uger. You were raised well...”

After boosting the warriors’ fighting spirit, Kersombok turned his head and said, “We don’t need your help, Ancestor. With all due respect, we don’t need the White Lion either. We are strong, and we want to show you and the White Lion how strong we’ve become on our own.”

That was the message of the Terras of this era.

***

Estelle smiled brightly, seemingly feeling better. “As expected, you’ve raised your species well.”

The others’ reactions were similar. Uburka felt so good that he got a barrel of alcohol and gulped it down. Although Kim Yul was expressionless, he still nodded in approval. Only Sylvia Evanail’s nose twitched with grievance.

“What is wrong with you again, Head Steward?” I asked.

“I was just thinking of how great you guys would feel right now. I don’t know where a weak person like me can find a place of my own. Don’t mind me. I’m just a weakling who likes complaining. I hope the Almighty Patriarch and his vassals enjoy yourselves.”

She always complained, so it was time to move on from her. She was probably irritated because things had worked out beautifully. I flicked her lightly on her forehead.

“

Ouch

! Why did you do that, Patriarch?”

“You said you want to become someone your butler wouldn’t be ashamed of. Broaden your horizons. Over there.”

The early morning sun was already rising on the field I pointed to. Both the Skian and the Terra armies began to advance after seemingly having completed their preparations.

Thud, thud.

Thousands of footsteps could be heard from either side. The two different melodies across the field served as background music for the battle.

“

Nyahahaha

! Today is the day those muscle pigs will be offered to the ancestors for the celebration of our victory![1]”

Of course, the Seven Skian Heroes stood at the forefront of the Skian army, emanating ferocious aura. The Viper had decided to do more in this war than anyone else.

“Are you sure it’ll be okay?” Estelle asked. “Depending on how the war turns out, helping them a little may not be noticeable. Patriarch, if both our allies and enemies aren’t aware of—”

I raised my hand to cut her off.

“No, we should trust the Terras. This is their coming-of-age ceremony, so to speak. The entire species is trying to pass. We’re free to watch from afar and cheer or pray for their luck, regardless how anxious it makes us. But we should never intrude. Let’s believe in their strength and wait.”

“Understood.”

Estelle didn’t raise any objections after that. We sat on the mountain peak that Uburka had cut down and waited in silence for the war to unfold.

The sound of a horn came from somewhere. Immediately afterward, another horn joined in. Horn after horn sounded in harmony, drenching the field’s dawn in odd pain. By the time the noises died down, someone shouted, “Attack!”

“Attack! All troops, attack!”

“Crush those thorny bastards so they can never attack again!”

“All of you, charge!”

With that, all the Terras started running. Determined not to be outdone, the Skians also let out a vicious roar and drew their weapons, charging as well.

I watched the Terra army with unwavering resolution.

I believe in you, my children. You are strong enough to forge your own path.

This was the beginning of the war.

1. Pig heads are often placed on ancestral rite tables. ☜