Chapter 75
“Ventus. No surname?”
“Eric Ater. I’ve been, somewhat undeservedly, appointed as the hero of the Order. For now, at least.”
After finishing business at the Oblivion Fortress, Eric headed straight for the Eastern Fort.
Inside the swaying carriage, he formally greeted the burly, bearded middle-aged man and, wearing a friendly smile, subtly assessed his stats.
Level: 25
Strength [64]
Agility [120]
Stamina [75]
Mana [1]
Traits: ,
Compared to what he had expected, the stats were somewhat lacking.
However, the same could be said for Leonardo, Lilian, and Malefica, so there wasn’t much to worry about. After all, this was still roughly two and a half years before the events at the start of the great war in the game.
Even taking that into account, Ventus’ stats were fairly low.
‘Perhaps Ventus is the type of hero in the game who only starts to shine in the late stages.’
Although his level was lower than expected, it wasn’t a problem. Eric was a hero who relied more on traits than raw stats anyway.
Moreover, his mana—useless for a scout—was almost nonexistent, so it wasn’t really a weakness.
‘A scout only needs high agility and stamina. And with 120 agility, he’s nearly comparable to Leona.’
“For now… that will do.”
Ventus, however, eyed Eric with a suspicious look.
Although he had been drawn along by an interesting story at the fortress, the man before him was full of oddities.
Despite being the hero of the Order, he had come all the way to the Eastern region with only three people and no soldiers.
He spoke politely to a mere commoner like Ventus, despite his noble status.
And most perplexing of all—out of all the people gathered at the fortress, he had specifically summoned Ventus, a simple hunter.
“But why me? There were plenty of famous heroes and skilled knights and mages at the fortress, weren’t there?”
Eric answered casually.
“I didn’t need a knight or a mage. I needed a scout.”
“…Even so, there were many stronger than me, weren’t there?”
Indeed, among those gathered at Oblivion Fortress, countless individuals were stronger. Though not on par with the Northern elite facing the Demon King’s army, the Eastern forces, funded by the kingdom’s trade, had formidable warriors.
“What I need isn’t someone strong, but someone who can be the eyes and ears of our party.”
If he simply needed a strong hero, he wouldn’t have sought Ventus. Even in the original story, his combat ability was negligible for an S-rank hero.
‘But strength isn’t the only measure of a hero.’
Players who had delved deeply into “Protect Humanity” would know that Ventus was one of the game’s few irreplaceable heroes.
This game demanded more than front-line combat—it required ambushes, stealth, and rare-item farming in remote dungeons. A good scout’s value was immeasurable.
‘This mission is all about rescuing the Cardinal. Sure, there will be some monsters and disturbances along the way…’
Even if the Cardinal were taken hostage by another Demon Lord, a simple brute hero might suffice. But Mahuwang was different.
That old monkey and his monsters were masters at setting traps.
“Sir Ventus. No, Ventus.”
Seeing Ventus still uneasy, Eric spoke in a deliberately stern tone.
“Weren’t you itching to get revenge on Mahuwang? I’m giving you a chance to land a proper hit—what’s the problem?”
“That is…”
Though it was understandable that Ventus would feel hesitant after being abruptly drafted for a dangerous mission, expressing dissatisfaction outright was another matter.
Such uncooperative behavior was troubling, especially since the scout played the most crucial role in the hostage rescue. Everyone’s lives depended on it. Eric needed to eliminate any risk in the operation.
“If you feel untrustworthy, say so. I can’t turn back to the fortress due to time constraints, but I’ll let you off here. We haven’t come far—you can walk back.”
“…No. That was a foolish remark. I apologize.”
Stopping the carriage briefly, Eric’s unwavering gaze caused Ventus to bow his head in surprised acknowledgment.
Eric Ater. Ventus had heard rumors of the second son of the Ater family. Supposedly a hopeless rogue—but he appeared nothing of the sort.
‘If the rumors were true, the Order wouldn’t have promoted him to hero.’
“Don’t worry. Your curiosity is understandable. But right now, let’s focus on rescuing the Cardinal and giving Mahuwang a proper hit. I’ll answer your questions once this is over.”
Seeing this, Ventus relaxed slightly, accepting Eric’s apology. That was enough. Eric had no intention of abandoning him—he only wanted to assert control for the mission ahead.
“Our master is actually a good person who takes care of everyone, so don’t hold it against him.”
“Ah… thank you. By the way…”
“I’m Lilian. Lilian Ashford!”
The tense mood eased as Lilian, nervously watching the interaction, quietly spoke to Ventus. Ventus glanced at the girl, trying to gauge his master’s mood, and couldn’t help but laugh.
“…Wait a moment!”
Creek!
While listening to the occasional conversation between the two, they continued toward the fort.
Malefica, who had been quietly staring out the window, suddenly spotted something and urgently stopped the carriage.
“What is it?”
“A mark left by the Knights. It seems recent. If we’re lucky, we’ll meet them before starting our operation.”
A small sign along the maintained road. Eric nodded quietly, pleased.
“Good. Meeting them first will make planning the rescue easier. Do you know where the Knights are now?”
“Of course. I’ll drive the carriage.”
Rumble-
“Ugh… my stomach… Master, are you sure we’re going the right way?”
Some time later, the carriage veered off the well-maintained trade route onto a mountain path. Lilian, growing pale, asked anxiously.
“I don’t know. Malefica seems capable. She’s following the Knight’s marks.”
Eric shrugged. He hadn’t been to the Eastern region much—he knew little about the geography and simply trusted Malefica’s lead.
Heeheehee-hing!
“U-ugh!”
“Eek! What was that?”
After a few minutes of watching the dense foliage whip past, suddenly a loud cry from ahead nearly overturned the carriage. Eric leaned out, startled.
“Malefica! What—”
“We’ve arrived.”
The horse, visibly shaken, crouched in fear. Malefica slowly loosened the reins and stood, leaving Eric puzzled.
“Well, I suppose we’re here.”
Malefica glanced over Eric’s shoulder.
“Eric Ater.”
Eric briefly turned toward the voice, squinting as he saw someone calling his name from beyond the foliage.
“What brings a prince of the Ater family here?”
A man in dark, muted armor, opposite in tone to the paladins from the Papal Court. Despite clearly being part of the Order, he insisted on calling Eric “Prince,” which made Eric frown.
‘This guy…’
“Why? I heard the Eastern Fort fell, so I thought I might lend a hand. Wait… aren’t we acquainted?”
The voice sounded familiar. Eric recalled seeing this incompetent fellow near Isabella at an inn under the Nibosus Mountains. It seemed he wasn’t pleased that the man had taken the hero position on the Order’s recommendation.
“…Go back. This is too dangerous for the incompetent.”
“It’s fine. I’m not incompetent.”
Eric, seeing the man trying to send them away, responded calmly.
“More importantly, the Cardinal is being held hostage, right?”
Having come all this way, Eric didn’t want to waste time with petty power struggles. He went straight to the point.
“I’ll save him.”
The man blinked in disbelief at Eric’s confidence.
“…You’ll save the Cardinal?”
“Yes. The bishop of the Eastern Diocese pleaded repeatedly. I couldn’t just ignore it. And I can’t just watch the Cardinal captured by those vile monsters.”
The man’s distrustful gaze didn’t sway Eric, who returned the stare steadily.
Of course, it was understandable. Even a competent hero would hesitate—rescuing the Cardinal secretly could provoke the Demon King.
“You don’t need to overthink it. You just do what you were planning. I’ll adjust and handle the Cardinal…”
“Hero.”
At that moment, Ventus, still in the carriage, called seriously.
“I think the conversation should wait.”
Sniffing the air, Ventus fixed his gaze in a certain direction.
“What is—”
“Shh.”
Suddenly interrupting, the man made the other frown briefly.
–Ukk!
–Kk! Ukkiik!
With a loud cry, Mahuwang’s monkeys began to attack from the trees.
