Chapter 10: The Legendary Armor
“Come forth, heroes! Seeking those who aspire to defeat the Demon King!”
Such recruitment calls were made across various countries. The one behind this recruitment was Trao. He had finally taken concrete steps towards defeating the Demon King.
A reward of a thousand gold coins was offered for success, attracting those who believed themselves capable. Their numbers reached into the hundreds. From adventurers seeking fortune to knights who had resigned their posts to participate, a diverse group of people gathered.
“Is it alright to gather so many people?”
Lilith asked anxiously, looking at the assembled applicants. While some were capable, she doubted all of them were.
“It’s fine. We’ll have a selection test,”
Trao replied with an expression suggesting he had expected this.
“Selection test? What’s that?”
Rio was unaware such a thing had been planned.
“Hm? Now that we have the sword and shield, we need armor, right? We’re all going to retrieve it together.”
Hearing about armor, the three from Garnet were reminded of a certain legendary armor, giving them an ominous feeling.
Deep within the vast forest known as the “Fairy Forest,” it was said that lake existed.
Shrouded in thick mist, it was a mysterious entity. Few had seen it, and some even doubted its existence.
In reality, the Fairy Forest where the lake was said to be was so vast that an entire country could fit inside it. It was also filled with dangers, making it a place not easily approached.
The destination this time was that mythical lake. There was a certain tale about armor related to the lake.
In front of the Fairy Forest, the hero candidates who had responded to Trao’s call had gathered.
Over three hundred people had initially responded to the recruitment, but when they heard the selection test would take place in the Fairy Forest, about a third immediately disappeared.
This Fairy Forest was inhabited not by monsters, but by magical beasts that had existed since ancient times. Magical beasts were creatures created by the gods, with dragons being the most famous representatives. Simply put, they were much stronger than ordinary monsters. Those with half-hearted skills stood no chance against them.
Those who left were probably after the reward and had no intention of fighting the Demon King’s army from the start. They were intimidated by the prospect of facing magical beasts.
However, over two hundred participants still remained for this selection test. They were filled with genuine determination to defeat the Demon King.
“My homeland was destroyed,” “My family and friends were killed,” – their reasons for fighting varied, but even if they had the will, it didn’t always mean they had the strength.
The Fairy Forest was perfect for weeding out those participants lacking in strength.
“So, this time we’re going to level up Lilith,”
Trao said cheerfully to Lilith.
Lilith’s usually gentle face was tense. Her large, round eyes seemed slightly moist.
Lilith was the only priestess in this large group. She had to heal everyone by herself.
There were priestess among the selection test participants, but they weren’t brought along this time to train Lilith. They would be given a separate selection test.
As a result, Lilith’s burden was considerable.
Of course, healing potions were distributed to each participant as a precaution, but whether a priestess participates in battle or not greatly changes their burden.
Initially, Lilith thought that leveling up wouldn’t be too difficult for her.
After all, Lilith was a priestess, and her role was to heal. She thought that even for special training, she wouldn’t have to fight powerful enemies or hordes of monsters. At most, she expected to frequently heal the members of Garnet.
(I never imagined he’d prepare a party of over two hundred people…)
Lilith cursed herself for underestimating Trao.
Come to think of it, Trao was that kind of person. He would casually do things that others wouldn’t even think of, or even if they did, wouldn’t dare to execute.
Stripping equipment from the dead to exchange for money, threatening others to make them obey, deceiving the king to get money – he had done many things that, as a servant of God, she could hardly overlook.
Originally, priestess and merchants didn’t get along well. The teachings of God didn’t encourage accumulating wealth, and more precisely, considered excessive wealth acquisition a sin.
Of course, moderate business necessary for living was tolerated, but it was hard to believe that God would allow the large-scale economic activities that Trao was engaged in.
Moreover, his merchandise was dubious potions, and his customers were monsters. The amount of money he made was comparable to a national budget. Even a demon would probably conduct more modest transactions.
It was a grave sin that could pierce through about three layers of hell.
Trao’s name would undoubtedly be recorded in history as the most sinful merchant.
Although Lilith herself had continued to assist in Trao’s actions, making her equally guilty, she at least had a sense of sin. But Trao didn’t. While the sinful merchant himself wasn’t troubled, she alone was agonizing. That’s what frustrated her.
Lilith felt that if divine punishment didn’t fall on Trao soon, her faith might waver.
However, now she had to face the harsh reality of being the healer for two hundred people.
The Fairy Forest was not just a typical forest dense with trees. It had high temperature and humidity, with vines filling the spaces between trees. Strange creatures roamed within, giving a sense of primordial life force.
A long line of people was making its way through the forest, parting the vegetation as they went. Such a large-scale expedition required considerable expense, but Trao generously covered it all.
Although Trao was stingy, he didn’t show it outwardly to dampen the morale of the applicants. He only showed his miserly side to those very close to him.
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“Aaaaah!”
Someone else was being attacked by a magical beast.
Lilith ran towards the source of the scream to rescue the injured.
There had already been dozens of magical beast attacks.
(Even the power of God has its limits…)
Lilith was frantically moving up and down the long line, healing the injured.
She too was accumulating fatigue, but she had been given several high-grade potions that restored magic power, physical strength, and willpower. Moreover, being expensive, they were immediately effective when consumed. There was no room for excuses.
After finishing healing the injured, Lilith emptied another bottle of potion. Its stimulating taste drove away her drowsiness.
When Trao handed her these potions, he had said, “I won’t let you sleep tonight.”
Indeed, Lilith wasn’t sleeping. There were magical beast attacks even at night, so she was healing around the clock. However,
(That’s not the kind of situation where you use that line!)
Lilith, who actually loved romantic stories, was angry at Trao’s terrible use of what should have been a romantic line.
“A Griffin has appeared!”
A voice that sounded like a scream was heard.
A Griffin is a magical beast with a lion’s body and an eagle’s head and wings. While not as strong as a dragon, it’s still a formidable enemy. There would almost certainly be injuries.
Lilith immediately headed towards the source of the voice.
The attack was at the very back of the line, where about ten participants were bravely challenging the Griffin with swords and spears. They too were people who wanted to defeat the Demon King. They probably thought they couldn’t lose to a mere Griffin.
Trao was there too. He wasn’t joining the fight, just silently observing the battle situation.
(He’s here again)
This wasn’t the first time Trao was present at a battle scene. In fact, he had been arriving at most scenes even before Lilith.
He’s not helping to defeat the monster. He’s assessing the participants’ skills and mercilessly disqualifying those who don’t meet a certain level, eliminating them from the journey.
(He has no heart)
Lilith found this bitter.
Certainly, it’s dangerous to continue the journey with people who lack strength. They might die if they participate in the battle against the Demon Lord.
However, they too have joined with determination. Besides, until recently, even Garnet was a powerless adventurer just like them.
(I think there should be a better way to say it)
As she was thinking this, several participants were scattered by the Griffin.
Lilith immediately began casting healing magic. As she was the only healer, her responsibility was great. She could never let her guard down. Trao had probably planned this journey anticipating her diligent nature.
What an unpleasant person, Lilith thought.
While Lilith was still in the middle of casting healing magic, some participants were already trying to stand up and fight.
One was a person who had belonged to the knight order of a fallen kingdom. Experienced adventurers tend to retreat, conserving their strength, but knights have a strong tendency to fight to the very end.
While this shows their strong sense of duty, it can also be said that their way of fighting is reckless.
The Griffin, which had once soared into the sky, now set its sights on the knight who was trying to face it.
“Watch out!”
Lilith shouted.
The knight was bravely trying to fight head-on, but it was far too dangerous.
The approaching Griffin. If attacked with that momentum, a human would easily be torn to pieces. That would be beyond the scope of Lilith’s healing magic.
However, an arrow came flying in.
The arrow pierced the Griffin’s wing, causing the magical beast to lose its balance slightly. It was enough to throw off its aim.
The knight easily dodged the Griffin’s attack and boldly struck with his sword. Other participants, healed by Lilith, joined the attack. The Griffin, injured in its wing, couldn’t fly properly into the sky. Still, befitting its lion-like body, it fought valiantly on the ground.
Amidst this, Lilith caught sight of Trao putting away his bow into his item bag at the edge of her vision.
(So it was senpai’s doing after all)
From traveling with Trao, Lilith had learned that this merchant was skilled with various weapons.
Of course, he wasn’t as proficient as those who specialized in these weapons, but he could use them quite competently.
He had said, “It would be a waste if I couldn’t use the weapons I acquired, right?”
It was a very Trao-like reason, but it takes considerable effort to master various weapons.
For a merchant, said to be useless in combat, to become an S-rank adventurer – it was clear he had put in more effort than most.
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