The Hero's Coffin - Chapter 5

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Original publish date: 09/29/2024

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In the end, Harenir slightly shook his head, and Kalterik let me go as if he was throwing me aside. He glared at me, grumbling as if he were deeply ashamed of having been reprimanded by the captain. 

“Consider it an honor. How could someone like you get a chance to be in the company of a hero? Researching necromancy in a peaceful world built on sacrifice, what a luxury to have. And in the Holy Empire, too…”

Could it be that the reason I got so many bumps and bruises from being carried out of prison wasn’t because they were in a rush, but because of Kalterik’s hostility towards me? It was a reasonable suspicion to have. Even now, I almost toppled over, barely holding on to a tree just to keep my balance. Kalterik, thinking once again that he was being ignored, kept talking. About the history of the empire, blah, blah, and so on. 

Suddenly, Harenir turned to us again. 

“Quiet.”

“He was the only one talking.”

Feeling wronged, I pointed at Kalterik, who flinched. Harenir looked at me even more peculiarly. But I was just being honest, all the noise really was coming from him.

“...Let’s separate the two of you,” Harenir declared with a voice that carried the fatigue of a kindergarten teacher. 

In the end, the silver-haired knight had to stand between Kalterik and me.

It was only after the commotion subsided that I could take in the scenery in front of my eyes. At the edge of the forest, there was a structure that was illuminated by the moonlight. It was a pure white temple. 

The sheer size of it was overwhelming. Although parts of the temple looked worn down from age as though it was burdened with a rich history, it was clear that it was still being meticulously maintained on a daily basis. All sorts of characters were engraved on the tall pillars and ceiling. Carved in the center was a sacred depiction of the sun, presumably the symbol of the temple. 

While I was looking around in fascination, Kalterik quickly glanced around before raising his hand. Perhaps wanting to make up for his previous mistake and earn a sticker of praise from the captain, he promptly shouted out, “There’s definitely nobody here! I think everyone must’ve gone to check on the tower, haha, I made a big ruckus on purpose!”

“Hmm, by now they’ve probably figured out ‘that’ death inmate has disappeared, so they won’t be back for a while.”

If the prison had simply collapsed, the temple wouldn’t have paid attention. But since the death row inmate who’d been scheduled to die tomorrow had escaped, everyone was on high alert. Furthermore, it wasn’t just any ordinary death row inmate, but the one that the Empire considered a villain. 

“Well then, let’s go find it now.”

Nevertheless, perhaps wary of the possibility that there might be guards present, all three of them moved cautiously, keeping quiet. I mirrored their movements with my nerves on edge. What the hell were they looking for?

That question was soon answered when we arrived in front of the grand temple. Peering through the long windows, we saw rows of benches lined up on either side, a wide open empty space left in the middle that led to an altar at the far end of the aisle. On the altar, an ivory coffin was propped up at an angle, adorned with colorful flowers. 

Inside the open coffin, a pure white ‘sword’ could be seen. 

Judging from the sword’s appearance and aura, it seemed like a sacred item—perhaps it was a holy sword. Harenir’s sword, the very sword that everyone knew was wielded by the First Knight of the Order. 

I wondered how he faked his death. Was today’s funeral being held with only the holy sword? Everyone would have assumed he died even without the body since the sword that symbolized the hero was lying in the coffin by itself. 

“Fortunately, the sword is exactly where I expected it to be…” Harenir said calmly. Normally, holy relics would be kept somewhere difficult to access, so he seemed satisfied that it hadn’t been moved yet. But then, he tapped on the entrance door with his finger. 

“They set up a barrier before leaving.”

“Argh, sorry! I should’ve made an even bigger ruckus…!”

“No, it’s the bare minimum to have safety measures in place if all the guards leave. You’d be stupid not to.”

Apparently, this section had been cordoned off in case of any potential intruders. I could actually see something shimmer in front of the door. It was fascinating. Would an alarm set off if I forced my way in?

Harenir then turned to the silver-haired knight and asked, “Mela, can you create an ‘opening’?”

“I’ll give it a try.”

Now I finally knew all the names of the party members. As I internally criticized the game for not giving any buffs to someone who suddenly possessed the body of another person while also cursing that this was a poor excuse for a game… I came to a realization that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. 

Wait a minute. If the holy sword were to disappear from the grand temple right at this moment…

“If the hero’s sword goes missing right after news of my escape from prison, won’t everyone think I stole it?”

“And? You’re already on death row anyway, so what’s one more theft charge added to the list?” Harenir said.

That’s… That’s not wrong… 

Once again, I found myself agreeing with the voice that spoke as if it were matter-of-fact, and a wave of frustration washed over me. What was it about his voice? It sounded so sacred, as if a scripture was being recited, that I kept accepting his words as universal truth. I wanted to argue with him, the only problem was that he was right again. 

I was a villain of the Empire who was set to be executed anyway, so stealing the hero’s sword wouldn’t come off as a surprise to anybody. In gaming terms, my reputation level would rise. Though it’d be for notoriety in this case. 

As I sulked to myself, Mela drew her sword. The finely sharpened rapier gleamed brightly even in the shadows of the building. 

Fwish!

With a swift downward slash, Mela cut through through the barrier with a sword. The shimmering around the door parted open. I didn’t have any time to marvel at the sight, being swept into the room along with the other three who quickly rushed inside. 

However, in a last-ditch effort to distance myself from the crime scene, I decided to keep my distance from the altar. I stood by the doorway and watched the three knights approach the coffin behind them from a distance. Yes, I was present at the scene of the theft, but I wasn’t the one stealing the sword. Anyway, that was how things had to be. 

While I was making these pointless excuses in my head, I heard a rustling sound behind me. What the hell was it? I turned around in surprise…

[ Kwaaaaaah! ]

[ Kwueeeh— ]

Through the long glass windows, I faced dozens—no, hundred of blood-red eyes. Some of them looked like centipedes or spiders, while others resembled wolves and snakes. The way those glossy eyes rolled around in their sockets was terrifying. 

An intense repulsion arose within me at their grotesque appearances, my whole body tensing up. The dark aura that surrounded them made it clear what they were. 

Monsters. 

I gasped.

As soon as the sound came out of my mouth, the head of a centipede suddenly forced its way through the opening in the barrier. It wriggled around as if it were trying to widen the gap, monsters pouring into the grand hall in a swarm. 

Dinnnnggggggg—

Dinnnnggggggg—

The deafening sound of bells echoed through the space. It was a reaction set off by the barrier breaking, the opening much larger than the small crack Mela had made earlier. 

Kalterik glared at the rear of the hall, shouting, “How dare those bastards covet the holy sword!”

Dozens of monsters rushed toward the coffin, their eyes gleaming with either greed or rage, though I wasn’t too sure which. Drool dripped their mouths onto the floor. 

Normally, monsters would avoid sacred items but had the power of the sword been cut off to convincingly fake the hero’s death? That was how the holy sword was often described, it only accepted someone with certain qualifications as its wielder and only then would it emit light in their hands. 

Now that the holy sword was practically sealed, I wondered if the monsters were taking advantage of this opportunity to covet it. Perhaps they wanted to destroy it, or maybe they’re drawn to its potent energy. Whatever the reason, it was clear they’ve gathered here for less than good intentions. 

Kalterik and Mela drew their swords and began to fight the monsters while I frantically ran up against the wall to avoid them. 

I’d seen monsters in games and webcomics before, but facing them in real life right in front of me was on a whole other level. Denial hit me, and my body trembled in fear. The difference between 2D and 4D was immense. Ah, if I had known this was coming, I could’ve trained in 3D using a VR game. Jumping two dimensions all at once was too much for me.

Swoosh!

Splat!

One of the monsters was crushed by Kalterik’s greatsword, bursting apart at the same time as another monster was pierced by Mela’s rapier with one swift motion. Meanwhile, Harenir simply approached the altar. Perhaps because he fully trusted his comrades, he never once looked to either side. 

There wasn’t a hint of tension in his movements as he walked through the chaos. He must’ve anticipated encountering the monsters on his way to retrieve the holy sword. The commotion was a nuisance, but as long as he could take his sword and leave before encountering anyone else, it would be fine. 

While staring at Harenir, I suddenly glanced up and was startled at what I saw. A centipede-like creature was crawling across the ceiling, about to ambush Harenir. I didn’t even know when it had climbed up there. There were too many monsters for Kalterik and Mela to handle alone as more were still pouring in. 

“Hey, lo…!”

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   Run in the direction that the arrow is pointing to.

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Just as I was about to warn Harenir of the danger lurking, I was interrupted by a window suddenly appearing before my eyes. Huh? There was even an arrow that was glowing blue.

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T/N: This is the last update since Novelingua picked up the novel. I'm on Twitter if you ever want to talk about the novel (but a lot of what I post is not spoiler-free). Thank you!

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