Chapter 134 – Counterattack (2)

After the commander, the Count, announced the operation, the diversionary force heading to Seoul was the first to depart.

Knights, combat mages, and soldiers.

Over 200 troops left the Daejeon expeditionary fortress alongside us.

Of course, compared to those heading to North Korea to eliminate the Demon King, the quality of our forces wasn’t on par, but the number of troops heading to Seoul was greater.

Our party had to head to Seoul a step ahead of the main diversionary force.

This was because the commander had designated our party as the reconnaissance unit.

I nodded at the commander’s explanation that this decision was made considering how we had held out here for a month without any support.

In truth, I agreed with the commander because it was better for us to move separately from the main force.

Entering Seoul, which was overrun by the undead, ahead of the main force might seem quite dangerous to others.

But for our party, it was more likely to be safer than moving with the main force.

“Good. If we were slowed down by the other sluggish units and got held back, it would’ve been troublesome.”

Hoffman shared my thoughts.

After all, we were the diversionary unit.

Drawing the attention of the Demon King’s forces in the north was more important than killing many enemies or taking down powerful foes.

Causing chaos with a small group was safer and more effective than launching a large-scale attack with many troops.

Even if it wasn’t as effective, our party would be safer. And if we were lucky, we might even have time to take care of other matters.

While we were preparing to depart from the student hall, Elena, the mage who had come with us, came to say goodbye.

She had expressed her intention to join the expeditionary force headquarters immediately after crossing the gate, and since the headquarters needed mages, they added her to the mage party supporting the hero’s party.

It would have been nice if she had come with us, but she was a traditional mage who had been training at the tower until just a few days ago.

Moreover, her mentor was a combat mage.

Since she was a traditional mage who knew how to fight, it was natural for the headquarters to assign her to the hero’s side.

However, since they were heading to where the Demon King was, it was clearly much more dangerous than Seoul, where the diversionary force was going.

So, before parting ways, I subtly asked her:

“Should I try to get you transferred to our party? The diversionary force might need a mage too, so they might agree.”

“No, it’s fine.”

She firmly refused my help.

I had tried to offer some assistance through her mentor, but perhaps because she was a traditional mage, she didn’t accept my help.

It was a shame, but since she refused, I couldn’t push further.

Even after parting ways with Elena, other people came to our quarters.

This time, it was a young man and woman, people of significant standing.

They were the new hero and holy maiden.

As the two entered, the room was filled with holy energy.

Even I, who didn’t believe in gods, felt that I could perform healing magic just by muttering a prayer, thanks to the abundant holy energy.

But this holy energy didn’t come from the new holy maiden—it came from the young hero.

The holy energy was on a completely different level from when I had first seen him.

Perhaps the change in holy energy was because he had been officially recognized as a hero by the gods at the Grand Temple.

The holy energy of a hero, the natural enemy of the undead.

Unlike the holy maiden’s holy energy, which healed people, the hero’s holy energy was specialized in purging impure beings.

That’s why the hero chosen by the gods could use the holy energy bestowed upon them to defeat monsters, undead, and even the Demon King.

The hero, who seemed to have just reached adulthood in his late teens, entered the room with the holy maiden, looked around, and bowed his head.

“I apologize. I’m still struggling to control my holy energy.”

Being a hero, he must have noticed that the room was filled with holy energy.

Indeed, the previous hero hadn’t been so careless with his holy energy.

Sending a hero who couldn’t even properly control his holy energy to face the Demon King…

Controlling holy energy might not have much to do with fighting the Demon King, but it still felt too rushed.

Moreover, the hero apologizing to us seemed much kinder and more innocent than I had expected.

“You must be busy, so I’m sorry for coming unannounced. I heard that the party with the former holy maiden candidate had been in this world for over a month, so I came to seek advice.”

In response to his un-hero-like question, I first asked him:

“What’s your name, new hero?”

“Ah, my apologies. It’s Ras.”

The fact that he didn’t mention a surname suggested that this hero was a commoner.

Unlike the innocent-looking hero, the holy maiden stood beside him with no expression.

A look of apathy, as if she had lost all interest in the world.

The holy maiden, the imperial princess, looked even worse than when I had last seen her.

I averted my gaze from the indifferent holy maiden and looked at the hero, who was staring at me.

Unlike the previous hero, who had grown seasoned through long battles, this boy resembled the heroes I had seen in novels and comics in my past life.

Despite the holy energy filling the room, the hero’s innocent appearance compelled me to share as much as I could.

Without revealing the secret of my past life memories, I explained everything I knew about this world, the Demon King, and his army.

The hero listened to my explanation with sparkling eyes.

Whether my story was interesting or not, even the holy maiden listened attentively.

However, the part the hero liked the most wasn’t about the Demon King’s army or the Demon King himself.

“You’ve ridden flying machines and ships that travel underwater?”

The hero was incredibly fascinated by the machines and technology of this world.

It wasn’t very hero-like, but considering his age, it was understandable.

After the explanation, it was my turn to ask the hero:

“But why are you asking here? You could’ve asked in the capital.”

He could’ve asked in the capital or on the way here.

Since he had come with David, he must have known who we were.

At my words, the hero’s expression darkened again.

“I thought this was a place I knew. But when I came here, it turned out to be different.”

A place he knew?

I didn’t understand what he meant.

So I asked again, but the hero didn’t answer.

He simply thanked us and returned to his quarters.

After the two left, Yerim asked me with a stiff expression:

“Are the hero and the holy maiden really adults?”

This was the first time she had seen the hero and holy maiden up close.

Since she had only seen them from a distance before, it must have been hard to gauge their age.

I nodded at her question.

“They are adults.”

At my words, Yerim tilted her head in confusion.

“But the hero and the holy maiden look like they’re still in high school.”

Yerim wasn’t mistaken.

“By the standards of this world, they are high school students.”

“What does that mean?”

Yerim looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“In Aea, high school students are considered adults.”

In the other world, Aea, people in their late teens were considered adults capable of marriage.

Children became independent around that age, and I had left home around that time too.

“But they’re still so young!”

By Aea’s standards, they were adults, but as Yerim said, the hero was still young.

That’s why I had said it was too rushed.

Even though he was an adult, the hero needed more time.

I was growing increasingly curious about what the expeditionary force headquarters was thinking, moving so hastily.

We left the Daejeon fortress, Hanbuk University, at dawn.

In the foggy dawn,

While watching the other units heading west, we boarded the electric vehicle prepared by the U.S. forces and began retracing our path.

While we moved by land, the hero’s party and the main force would head west to meet the U.S. Navy in Gunsan.

The U.S. Pacific Fleet planned to pick up the expeditionary forces in Gunsan and then head north to drop off the diversionary force in Incheon.

After that, the fleet would continue north to drop off the hero’s party in North Korea.

The Pacific Fleet would then remain in the West Sea to support us and the hero’s party.

While the weapons of this world couldn’t eliminate the Demon King’s army, it wasn’t impossible to incapacitate them for a period of time.

Even if they couldn’t kill the undead, with enough firepower, it was entirely possible to shatter their bodies completely.

And the Pacific Fleet had more than enough firepower.

Our electric vehicle had a passenger.

It was the priest whose voice I had heard at the Grand Temple.

“I am Priest Benedict from the church.”

He was as stern as he had sounded when I heard his voice.

While driving the SUV, I asked the priest who had joined us:

“I thought we were going alone?”

“The church couldn’t just send the former holy maiden candidate away. Other temples agreed that I should protect her.”

This was the priest who, when I had heard his voice, had insisted on keeping Yerim in the capital.

I thought we had successfully avoided him, but here he was, following us.

I had no choice but to concede to the priest’s persistence.

“I’ve heard good things about your party. But since you’re embarking on a dangerous mission, I will protect the former holy maiden candidate with my life.”

Moreover, I couldn’t just dismiss someone who had crossed over from another world to protect Yerim.

“You don’t need to worry. I can protect myself.”

After all, he was the priest who had been in charge of the hero’s party in the capital.

He must have trained them, so he could probably fight properly.

Thanks to the silent electric vehicle, we were able to move north quickly.

Since there was no place to recharge the battery, we would have to abandon the vehicle once we reached Seoul, but for a one-time use, there was no better vehicle.

After leaving Daejeon, the vehicle entered the highway heading north.

Once we left Daejeon, the ruined world came into view again.

Abandoned cars, rusted streetlights, and even bones protruding from between the vehicles.

Having returned from a world that was still intact, the ruined world felt even more desolate.

I drove the vehicle, continuing north.

After passing the Majang rest area, where a great battle had taken place, we entered Gyeonggi Province that evening.

And shortly after, the battery died.

As we got out of the vehicle, under the moonlight high in the sky, I saw a collapsed building.

It was the building I had seen collapsing before.

Back then, the octopus monster from the Han River had brought it down.

In the end, we had returned to Hanam in just half a day.

We unloaded our belongings from the stopped vehicle.

Since the vehicle had stopped, we had to walk.

Unlike before, this time we headed west.

We had to go to the Demon King’s army’s base, which had been confirmed by U.S. satellites.

Our destination, the Demon King’s army’s base that had occupied Seoul, was in Yeouido.