ALL NOVEL Chapter 268
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[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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Nyhill stepped aside.
“I’ll take a look around for a bit.”
The hideout was left empty.
The hero gazed beyond the blinking communication orb.
It had been a while since he last saw Euphemia, and she looked more haggard than before.
Dark circles underscored her eyes, and her complexion was a bit pale.
Considering the grueling battles in the demon realm and now this situation, it was no wonder she was mentally and physically exhausted.
She said nothing at first, just staring at the hero, then suddenly blurted out.
[…Is that your real face?]
The hero had no reason to maintain his Ted polymorph anymore, so he was in his ‘original form’.
It was likely Euphemia’s first time seeing his real face.
The hero nodded.
Euphemia, for some reason dissatisfied, slightly furrowed her brow and stared at him.
[It doesn’t suit you.]
“…It’s my original face, there’s no question of it suiting me or not.”
[Besides, it feels like I’ve seen it somewhere before.]
The hero’s eyes gleamed.
“That can’t be. I haven’t shown this face to the world for nearly a hundred years.”
[…Really?]
“Well, there are always people who look alike somewhere.”
No animal relies as heavily on sight as humans do.
Despite the completely different face, Euphemia showed no sign of unfamiliarity.
It must be her own form of consideration.
[…You must have a lot of questions about the situation, I can spare about 30 minutes, ask away slowly.]
The hero hesitated before speaking.
“…How’s the situation in the east?”
[As Yol attacked Rosenstark, the 2nd and 3rd corps of Theo and Malekia launched a surprise attack on the 1st base. Fortunately, we managed to repel them. The problem is… your news is starting to spread.]
What used to be the 1st base of the demon realm was now purified and had become the forward base of the eastern army.
Naturally, the demonic energy had disappeared, making it a ‘communication-enabled area’.
“People must be agitated.”
[That’s not your concern. Maintaining military discipline is our duty… Anyway, isn’t there something else you’re really curious about?]
The hero smiled bitterly.
“Let’s take it step by step. How’s the public opinion?”
[Public opinion? It couldn’t be worse.]
Euphemia’s brows furrowed deeply.
[The incident was too shocking. The hero actually died a year ago. Instead, an unknown entity played the role of the hero. The leadership and heroes of humanity were fooled… or knowingly condoned it. Some say you’re a demon spy, others say you’re humanity’s ultimate weapon… the rumors are countless and absurd.]
Even though the secret forces were doing their best to manipulate public opinion, the results were not very promising.
It was as expected.
It was clear that humans couldn’t tolerate the existence of a doppelganger-like being.
[Initially, we planned to say that you were a contingency measure prepared by Ted and me. But seeing the situation, it doesn’t seem like a good idea. The backlash is stronger than expected.]
The hero nodded again.
“I think the same. There’s no need for you to get caught up in this vortex. Denying any knowledge of it would be the best move for the imperial family.”
[…You speak as if it’s someone else’s business.]
A slight look of guilt appeared on Euphemia’s face.
[The matter arose too early and unexpectedly, so our initial response was inadequate.]
“I’m sorry. Our plan was to get caught a few years later.”
[…Are you joking? What do you have to be sorry for?]
It wasn’t just a figure of speech.
Without the hero, Rosenstark would have been annihilated.
In fact, the annihilation of Rosenstark would have been nothing compared to what would have followed.
With newfound power, Yol would have led an undead army consisting of Rosenstark’s professors, Dawn Knights, and students to the capital.
‘Could the western forces have stopped them?’
It was uncertain.
Had they made a wrong move, the eastern army would have had to retreat.
Malekia and Theo wouldn’t have let them go quietly.
Who knows what great tragedy might have occurred during the delay, Euphemia couldn’t even imagine.
…The hero had saved humanity.
It was an undeniable fact.
[Yet there are plenty of fools who don’t appreciate it and put all their effort into criticizing you.]
Euphemia’s eyebrows slightly lowered.
She avoided the hero’s gaze for a moment, then looked at him again with a soft sigh.
[Seeing how things are going, I thought you might decide not to cooperate with humans anymore and leave.]
“Leave? You still don’t know me.”
Most people expect something in return.
Even saints’ good intentions fade if they don’t receive appropriate compensation for their sacrifices.
Moreover, the hero was not only unrewarded but was also being heavily criticized.
Some argued, ‘Isn’t it a monster with goodwill towards humans at least?’ but no one accepted him as ‘human’.
…Yet, the hero simply said this.
“I’ve already received my fair reward.”
Though he no longer had Ted’s face, why did it still overlap?
The emperor shook her head and changed the subject.
[…Then why don’t you ask what you really want to know?]
The hero paused for a moment.
Various emotions flickered in his eyes simultaneously.
Euphemia waited patiently for him to speak.
“The academy….”
The hero corrected his question.
He also wanted to avoid sounding choked.
“The people at the academy, how are they doing?”
* * *
In one corner of the lounge.
Though they seemed to lower their voices, in reality, they kept a volume loud enough for everyone to hear.
“So, it turns out they weren’t the hero’s disciples but a monster’s disciples.”
“Wow, they were so full of themselves. How embarrassed they must be.”
“What should they do? If it were me, I wouldn’t come out of my room.”
“Isn’t that what they’re doing?”
Admiration and disdain are two sides of the same coin.
The elite students who were once envied as the hero’s disciples were now subject to odd glances overnight.
That’s human nature.
This year’s new students had all applied to the elite course but were ultimately ‘rejected’.
How envious and annoyed they must have been at the elite students who had become the hero’s disciples and gained immense skills and honor.
The envy was particularly intense among the nobles because many commoners had also joined the elite course.
For those who had felt deep inferiority and deprivation all year, the ‘fake hero incident’ was, in a way, a kind of salvation and opportunity.
…The perfect chance to undermine their success and achievements.
“By the way, what the hell was it? A monster capable of imitating someone so perfectly. I’ve never heard of that. Not even in the monster compendium.”
“If they hadn’t blocked the anonymous board, it would be insane right now.”
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[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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“I still can’t believe it.”
Of course, there weren’t that many who spoke so freely.
Most remembered how the elite students had fought for the academy during Yol’s attack.
But there were certainly some who crossed the line.
“How clueless do you have to be to not realize it wasn’t the hero after being with him for a whole year? How good can a monster’s imitation of the hero be?”
“Exactly. If it were me, I would’ve figured it out right away and sent him to the pyre…”
BANG!
The boy who had been excitedly making bold statements suddenly had his face slammed onto the table.
CRACK—
The sound of his nose breaking echoed, and a cold silence spread among the kids sitting in a circle.
“You, you!”
Luke’s large hand was pressing the back of the boy’s head.
One of the boys sitting next to him protested in a trembling voice.
“A-are you crazy? Hitting a fellow student? Do you want to get expelled?”
Luke’s dark red eyes turned towards the boy.
He froze in his spot.
In fact, there wasn’t a single new student who wasn’t afraid of Luke, except for the elite students.
Especially after the rumor spread that he had cut off the head of his stepfather, the mercenary king Ravias, after the parent welcome ceremony.
His cold voice rang through the now silent lounge.
“Expelled? I’ll leave on my own before that happens. There’s no reason for me to stay here any longer anyway.”
The boy, clutching his nose, yelled at that moment.
“You crazy bastard! If you plan on leaving Rosenstark, you shouldn’t be acting like this!”
“…What?”
“You’re just a mercenary. You can act like this inside the academy’s walls, but outside, you wouldn’t dare against a noble….”
But he didn’t finish his sentence.
Noble.
Someone far superior to Luke within that category had appeared by his side.
With Ban’s arrival, the atmosphere grew even colder.
“Status, huh. You seem to enjoy trampling on people with it.”
His voice was calm, suppressing his emotions, which made it even more frightening.
The boys who had clashed with Luke stepped back.
“…It wasn’t directed at you. Why are you suddenly involved?”
However, Ban’s expression did not soften.
His brown eyes scanned each of their faces.
He realized he had seen some of their faces a few days ago.
They had been among those chased by the undead horde, wetting their pants and begging for their lives.
Only then did he understand why they were spouting such sharp words.
Shame, inferiority, self-hatred, helplessness.
He was more familiar with those feelings than anyone else.
“…Try to use those emotions more wisely.”
He spoke, recalling what his master had told him at the beginning of the term.
“Just as one who does not know fear cannot understand courage, those emotions will eventually lead you to greater heights. Remain calm and be reborn courageously.”
He wondered if the hero could be free from the fear of his true identity being revealed, no matter how much of a hero he was.
Ban could somewhat guess how the hero must have felt fighting in front of them.
Recalling the image of his master standing firmly yet precariously in front of them, the anger that had been blazing inside him slowly subsided.
What remained was an overwhelming sense of longing and regret that had built up too quickly in a short time.
Hero.
A brave person.
If he wasn’t a hero, then who could possibly be?
“…”
Luke seemed to feel the same thoughts and emotions, releasing the tension in his clenched fists and standing there in dejection.
“…Let’s go.”
The boys left the lounge and headed towards the quiet garden.
Recently, they had been avoiding crowded places because of incidents like the one that just happened.
Luke and Ban sat on a bench and sighed in unison, as if they had planned it.
“…Are you really quitting the academy?”
“Is there any reason to stay? Leciel really seems like she’s going to quit.”
Thinking of Leciel, Ban sighed even deeper.
Since that day, Leciel had become hard to find anywhere in the academy.
She wasn’t at the training grounds.
He checked the art studio, but there were only broken art supplies and shredded, unrecognizable paintings.
It seemed she was hiding somewhere, only returning to the dormitory late at night to sleep.
Ban had tried to talk to her, but she ignored him as if they were back to the beginning of the term.
“Should I quit too…”
“There’s something we need to do first.”
“That’s true.”
A heavy silence fell.
Ban spoke up.
“He won’t come back, will he….”
“He can’t.”
Luke growled.
“Because those ungrateful bastards will make a fuss.”
Since that day, the elite students had split into three groups.
First, those who rejected and shunned their teacher.
They trembled at the thought of having followed and respected a non-human and declared their severance.
They were the smallest group.
Second, those who were confused and didn’t know what stance to take.
They wavered between betrayal and longing, making up the majority.
And lastly, there were those like Luke and Ban, who considered the hero to be a precious teacher, regardless of who he actually was.
…Of course, they had been confused at first, too.
The fact that their teacher, whom they had followed and relied on more than anyone else, was not a hero or even human was not something they could take lightly.
But the things they had received from him were too many to turn their backs on just because of that one fact.
Before entering Rosenstark, their lives had been like swamps.
The hero was their benefactor, who reached out to them without hesitation, despite the mud.
With Ban and Luke at the center, they had already decided on their future course.
‘…It’s time to repay the kindness we’ve received.’
Step—
As the appointed time approached, a few of their classmates emerged from the other side of the garden.
Evergreen, Gerald, Karen, and others.
Everyone was gathered.
Luke gave Ban a signal with his eyes, and Ban stepped forward with a deep breath.
He declared,
“We’re forming a secret organization.”
…The story was unfolding in a direction the hero had never anticipated.
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[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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