By the time I arrived at the territory, everything was already over.
"You... dealt with all the monsters?"
When I asked, Aira carefully nodded her head.
"Yes..."
"...Who handled them? Don't tell me the Seven Nights Knights did?"
"Well... it was Marienne."
"......Marienne?"
My face hardened at the unexpected name.
"Why was she even there...? No, more importantly... it should be absolutely impossible with her skill, so how in the world..."
Aira paused for a beat, then spoke as if she could hardly believe it herself.
"...Marienne... awakened as a Hero, they say."
The moment I heard those words, I pressed a hand to my forehead.
"...A Hero?"
"Yes..."
"Where is Marienne now?"
"Well... the Pale Star Cult took her."
I sighed and processed the situation.
'Marienne awakened as a Hero? And the Pale Star Cult took her?'
This was an unexpected development. When I couldn't find the Hero's existence here, I thought they might be in another route, like the Empire or somewhere else.
But Marienne awakened?
"Aira. Explain in detail. What exactly happened?"
"......At first, they say there was another Hero. ...Their name was, Rubian."
Aira cautiously began to speak, and I listened in silence. Her explanation was long, and the more I heard, the more absurdly complex it became. Honestly, at least half of it sounded like nonsense.
"The Knights... also brought a sketch of that former Hero."
I took the paper and unfolded it.
Half of the face was female, half male. From the features to the body structure, it was very familiar.
'......Two playable characters mixed together.'
I put the paper back down and looked at Aira.
"When was she taken?"
"Four days ago..."
I tapped the desk with my finger. The situation had become complicated.
'Marienne became a Hero....'
Heroes are special beings in this world. They are considered the only ones who can defeat the Demon King, and not only the various cults but even nations are desperate to secure a Hero.
"And Marquis-nim, there's an additional report."
"Tell me."
"Yesterday, an urgent report came from the Royal Palace. They said via magic communication that additional Heroes have appeared."
I slightly furrowed my brows.
"How many?"
"That... I don't know exactly. The communication officer said all they heard was a single sentence: 'New Heroes have appeared.'"
"Hmph... If there's nothing more to report, you may leave."
"Yes."
The door closed, and the room fell silent. I stared into space for a moment before opening my mouth.
"Biyeon."
Biyeon appeared.
"What, you called?"
"What martial art... did you teach Marienne?"
Biyeon shrugged and replied.
"Pacheon Singong. I took it from an old dude who died after I beat him up. I taught Mari that, but... I only taught her a few half-baked techniques and basic breathing methods. But why are you suddenly bringing up martial arts?"
"I was thinking that when Marienne awakened her Heroic power, her affection and... her addiction to my traits might have been reset."
"...Are you saying Mari might become hostile to you?"
"There's a possibility, but it's not certain."
I looked out the window at the sky.
"The power of a Hero, as usually described in novels... typically comes with purification abilities."
Biyeon tilted her head.
"Purification?"
"Yes. A function that cleanses not only monsters and curses but also mental influences imposed from outside. Well, I don't think the Libido App would be affected by the powers of a fictional world, but just in case."
"Even if that's the case, you're going to fuck her again anyway, aren't you?"
"Well, that's true."
"Then why bother worrying about it? Just make her your pussy again. You've been whining about being bored lately."
"You little shit, how dare you speak to your Master-nim like that? Come here, I'll make your pussy sore today."
I grabbed her wrist, pulled her over the desk, and then pulled her panties down to her knees, shoving my dick into her pussy.
-Squelch!
"Ohh♡"
***
The Partisan Knights returned to the royal capital, and I made my way to the site where Marienne had awakened as a Hero.
"Eric."
"Yes, Marquis-nim."
"The Knights and the territorial army. What's the damage report?"
"Territorial army. Out of ten thousand deployed... approximately five thousand were killed in action. There are one thousand three hundred missing, and one thousand nine hundred seriously wounded."
"...The losses are quite significant."
Eric's expression darkened.
"Indeed. The Seven Nights Knights have many lightly wounded, but also a considerable number of fatalities. Sir Barzes's death, in particular, is the most painful loss."
"To have held back a monster horde of nearly sixty thousand with only ten thousand, they deserve ample praise."
I continued quietly.
"For the deceased and missing, compile a list of their families and prepare a compensation plan for the bereaved families, along with posthumous medals of honor."
"Yes, Marquis-nim."
"Especially for the Barzes family, convey my formal condolences. Ensure the funeral is conducted with the honors befitting a Knight Commander."
"Understood."
"And... the remnants of the orcs and goblins?"
"After the orc called Graz was killed by the... Hero-nim, the monster horde completely scattered. However, Graz's children scattered and fled to various regions... and currently, the territorial armies of various noble estates are searching for them."
I quietly commanded.
"Don't leave a single one alive. Tell them to kill them all."
"Yes."
I swept my gaze over the forest one last time. The smell of blood, black ash, and the intense aura that still lingered.
I turned my back and mounted my horse.
"We return to Alcladion."
***
After somewhat concluding the post-war cleanup in the territory, I entrusted the remaining tasks to Aira and immediately set off for my next destination.
The destination was Lienos, the heart of the Holy Kingdom.
It was to retrieve Marienne, whom the Pale Star Cult had taken.
'Information on the newly appeared Heroes was indeed hard to come by.'
Inside the carriage, I skimmed through the data on the other Heroes who had appeared besides Marienne. But as expected, the information was too scarce.
"Ivril."
"Yes, my lord."
"Is this all the information on the newly appeared Heroes?"
Ivril carefully bowed her head and said.
"Yes. It hasn't been long since we began operating the Shadow Knights in earnest, so our capabilities are still lacking. Furthermore, the location where the Hero appeared was a remote area bordering the Imperial territory and other kingdoms, making it difficult for our intelligence network to reach."
"...That can't be helped, I suppose."
I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
"Information related to Rubian?"
"I have brought the compiled report."
Ivril carefully extended a single document she held in her hand.
I took it and quickly skimmed through it.
'From Ruen Village...'
The report then stated the following:
From a young age, due to his deformed appearance and body structure, even his immediate family shunned him. Eventually, his parents died, and he grew up being treated as a monster even in the village. After leaving the village at fourteen, he lived in seclusion in a small hamlet, with almost no contact with the outside world until his death.
'...That's why I couldn't find him. They mixed male and female character names, and his appearance was completely different from the characteristics I knew.'
I folded the paper and put it inside my coat, letting out a quiet sigh.
In any case, Hero Rubian was dead, and in his place, other Heroes, including Marienne, had appeared.
'Then... what about the Seven Deadly Sins?'
The Seven Sins.
They are high-ranking demons embodying the Seven Great Sins of this world, and in essence, the true final bosses that penetrate the core of the final chapter.
Each entity is a being born from seven primal evils: 'Greed,' 'Envy,' 'Pride,' 'Sloth,' 'Wrath,' 'Gluttony,' and 'Lust.'
According to the original scenario, when a Hero grew beyond a certain stage, or gradually fell into corruption and met specific conditions, the power of the Seven Deadly Sins would be sequentially unleashed in proportion to that.
However, such restrictions weren't originally present. Even when I first played Yongopa, there were mentions throughout the game that 'these restrictions didn't exist before.'
The problem was that there was no direct explanation throughout the game as to why they appeared or what background led to their creation.
Even in the lore books and sub-quests, that part was vaguely obscured, and ultimately, users had to accept it all as unresolved plot points.
'And it's a structure where new Heroes only appear when the previous Hero falls into corruption....'
As the game progresses, if one chooses the corruption route instead of the growth route, the Hero eventually becomes completely corrupted, loses their Heroic authority, and sides with the Demon King.
At that moment, the gods immediately summon a new Hero, forming a confrontation with the previous Hero.
The problem is that the difficulty of that route is excruciatingly hard. The new Hero is over-specced in every aspect compared to the former Hero, which caused many users to give up at that point or simply delete their save files and start over from the beginning.
'Surely the newly appeared Heroes aren't that over-specced... Then the demonkind wouldn't be able to win even if they died....'
As far as I knew, there was only one way to win. If the newly appeared Hero also fell into corruption, it would end in victory for the Demon King's army.
"It's not fun when you know everything, but it's shitty when what you know gets this twisted."
The sealed state of the Seven Deadly Sins was unclear, and it was also unknown how powerful the newly appeared Heroes truly were.
'First... I absolutely must secure Marienne.'
I needed to hold at least one powerful card in my hand.
***
The capital of the Holy Kingdom, Lienos.
In the Sanctuary covered by the Celestial Dome, the Palace of the Holy White where the breath of the Divine Realm was said to reside. In that noble hall of council, the leaders of the three cults sat facing each other at a single table.
Pale Star Pope, Delphir Vanadel.
Ashen Covenant Grand Inquisitor, Seraphine de Revna.
Black Chorus Holy Spear Commander, Cradius Harken.
The first to speak, as always, was Pope Vanadel, clad in silver vestments.
"......Did you also receive the oracle?"
Immediately, Seraphine de Revna, the Grand Inquisitor of the Ashen Covenant, continued.
"The star that was two yet one has fallen, and eight new stars have risen. One of them holds deep darkness and will bring the world to ruin-"
Her gray eyes shone coldly.
"How do you interpret the meaning of this passage... Cradius?"
Across the table, Cradius Harken, who had adjusted the collar of his black ceremonial robe, slowly raised his head. After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth in a low, heavy voice, as if reciting a chapter from an opera.
"The star that was two yet one... probably refers to the one who possessed both male and female bodies, the Hero Rubian discovered this time. And that star has fallen. It means that on the day he died, eight new Heroes filled his place."
To this, Pope Vanadel continued.
"So far, only Hero Marienne has been secured. The remaining seven are..."
Seraphine interjected.
"Currently, one Hero has been identified in the Empire, one in Kairosen, and another in the Elven Kingdom. The locations of four are still unknown."
Cradius quietly interlocked his hands and spoke.
"Ultimately, the key is to find out which of them is the star of darkness that will bring the world to ruin."
Vanadel lightly nodded and continued.
"The problem is that we don't know to whom the sign of that darkness will appear."
Seraphine's gaze turned towards Pope Vanadel.
"In that case... what about Marienne, who is under the protection of the Pale Star Cult? Have there been any special signs?"
The Pope took a breath, then shook his head.
"Not yet. However... the fact that she shows overwhelmingly superior power early on compared to existing Heroes is a matter that needs caution."
The meeting room fell silent. For a moment, no one spoke. On the table lay three colored seals. The silver-white of the Pale Star, the gray of the Ashen Covenant, and the dark black of the Black Chorus.
And at that moment, Seraphine quietly spoke.
"Hoo... It's a headache. Even throughout long history, there has never been a case where so many Heroes appeared..."
She added, gazing at the hazy sky beyond the window.
"Even the Great Cataclysm 500 years ago, which had the most on record... only had three."
Pope Vanadel closed his eyes and murmured softly.
"Three Heroes... one died in battle, one fell into corruption, and the last one turned their blade against humanity."
Cradius spoke in a serious tone.
"But this time, there are eight. Many is not a blessing... it means an uncontrollable variable."
Pope Vanadel quietly wrote something on a parchment, then raised his head again.
"The problem is... the Heroes secured by the Empire and the Kingdoms. Especially the Empire, which in the past caused tragedy by trying to use Heroes as their own weapons. Everyone sitting here knows that fact well."
Seraphine lightly furrowed her brows and retorted to Cradius's words.
"Tsk. It seems those bastards, the Emperors of the Empire, have been afflicted with a disease that makes their bodies itch with desire to unify the continent for generations."
"Human greed is such a thing. For today, we will conclude here. Each cult is to mobilize all possible means and focus on securing the Heroes."
Pope Vanadel quietly announced the end of the meeting.