ã€ŠStill a Heroã€‹


 Prologue- Start of a Journey

    In the the middle of a clearing in the woods, a man slept. The morning sun shone through the canopy and illuminated his sharp features. He appeared young-perhaps his late 20¡¯s- and his distinctive fiery red hair glowed underneath the light.

    ¡°..nnn..¡± He grunted in his sleep and rolled over on his side, his face scrunched up in anguish. Briant stop! You don¡¯t know what your doing! Voices echoed in his head. He dreamt of the past, voices he could not forget no matter how much time passed, screamed at him and disturbed his slumber. That¡¯s Sarah! What are you doing?! Wait, NO-

    ¡°Arhhg!!!¡± He leapt from the ground and a silver sword flashed out of thin air, dispersing the air in front of him and cleaving through several nearby trees. ¡°Hahh, hahh¡­¡± He panted and looked around, relieved to find himself safe in the forest. He smiled bitterly. ¡°...dammit, Diana would laugh at me if she saw me like this¡­¡± He remembered that time, the time he lost everything. When all was lost, and he thought himself dead, he activated his unique magic to the fullest in a last ditch effort to escape, and ended up in a far off land he had thought to be destroyed...If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    He silently cursed his weakness as he held up his hand to examine the blade he held. It was a slim short sword with a slight curve and intricate decoration. It¡¯s shiny surface lightly glowed blue and was unmarred by scratches or chips despite the force it just exerted. The hand guard which extended only on the side of his fingers was engraved with a symbol of a Griffon.

    ¡°...What a blunder, what did those trees ever do to me?¡± He gave a light laugh in order to shake off the heavy thoughts that pervaded him in his sleep. ¡°Tuaris¡± he chanted, and the world was altered to his will. The water in the air instantly condensed and freezed into a circular sheet of ice. He quickly checked his appearance in the mirror of ice and wiped off the sweat he had shed during his dream before dispersed it into the air once more with a wave of his hand.

    ¡°The Rozen, martial tournament should be starting this afternoon, better be on my way¡± he mused to himself with a grin as he started for the sword he had left on the ground. The instant he touched it, it vanished into thin air.

    ¡°Alright!¡± He fired himself up and charged through the trees. This was a second chance, a miraculous reprieve he couldn''t produce twice, a chance to make things right. He, James Everand, set out on his mission once more.

 Chapter 1

    The wind blew past James¡¯s face as he rushed through the forest. As graceful as a gazelle and twice as swift, he lept over a log, grabbed hold of a tree and flung himself through the air without pausing for a breath.

    Winning the tournament ought to be easy enough. Surely the countries best would not participate in such a farce he pondered to himself. I¡¯ll stay in the city and do some investigating on my own about the southern front before the tournament¡¯s end.

    The tournament in question was one hosted annually by the Rozen Kingdom to celebrate the new year. It¡¯s hosted in Rozen¡¯s capital, the city of Raitzal, a technological and magical marvel. Wealth and trade come into Raitzal from all corners of the continent, and with it, an even larger wealth of talent. Considering this, there should be no shortage of powerful warriors and mages ready to participate in the tournament. Though the general reasons for joining the tournament were similar, whether it be for fame, wealth, or connections, James had another reason, he was after-

    "Screee!!!" The loud death cry of an animal rang out and James ground to a halt, sensing two more presences. Faster than the wind, he blurred behind a tree and concealed his presence. Someone was there? He couldn¡¯t fathom why anyone else would be in this forest with him. This forest, which existed east of Raitzal, was one that was notorious for the powerful beasts that existed in its depths, due to the high density of mana that emitted from its center. He strained his ears to listen and heard voices in the distance.

    ¡°-ammit, all the monsters in this area are too weak!¡± a deep and gruff voice echoed through the otherwise quiet clearing. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re just to strong? Well you may be a monster yourself¡­¡± a second one, much younger and smoother sounding then the first voice answered. ¡°Hahh? Who ya callin a monster ya lil¡¯ ingrate¡­¡± Though the angry voice trailed off, it was clearly in good humour. Who were they? Fighters in the tournament? While the the monsters in this forest were no match for James, he was a little out of the ordinary. There shouldn¡¯t be too many people who could call the monsters here weak.

    Hmmm, perhaps I should stay away for the time being¡­ ¡°Come out, we know you¡¯re there!¡± the second voice he heard called out into the clearing. They spotted him? How could that be? James was shocked. Certainly, stealth may not be my strongest point, but still-

    *Shiiiingg!!!* A loud sound rang out, and a thunderous amount of power began heading towards him. Faster than lightning, James lept to the side to evade what ever attack they had sent towards him. Because of his surprise, he couldn¡¯t completely bleed off the energy of his dodge, and rolled onto the ground. *BOOM* The area he was just standing was obliterated in a flash of heat, so intense was the temperature that ordinary people would not even be able to stand near it for fear of being completely vaporized. His trained vision and incredibly fast brain processed the attack he just witnessed.

    Hmm, Flames of Bennu? And on top of that, he¡¯s modified the internal structure to boost it¡¯s effective range. How inefficient¡­ I overestimated them. He seems like the type to just brute force everything. He smiled slightly to himself, a little mockingly for having been so cautious and thus leading to this situation, and a little bit happy, because the spell that was just used was a specialty of the school he went to. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    He quickly stood up and observed the two people who were on guard against him. One of them, a hulking brute, who stood two and a half meters tall appeared like a moving wall of muscle. A shaggy, dark brown beard covered his face, and mixed with his long hair. He had tower shield in one hand, which resembled more a slab of steel than a traditional shield, and in the other, he readied a large warhammer that glimmered with strange light.

    James turned his eyes over the the one behind the brute, who he assumed to be the magician that had fired an attack spell at him earlier. The young man had short cropped, straw colored hair, and he was so thin you would start to wonder about his health. Draped over his body was an unassuming gray robe, and he held a gnarled staff that resembled a tree branch in his hands. Despite his seemingly ordinary attire, the thick aura of magic that surrounded his body revealed what must have been an insane amount of mana and magical talent existing within him. James finished his observations in an instant.

    Seeing them prepare for battle, James quickly threw up his hands and gave the most amicable smile that he could. ¡°Hey, sorry about tha- Whoa!¡± He swiftly turned his body to the side as a lance of flame flashed past his shoulder. By the time he had regained his footing, the brute was already in front of him and swung his hammer down in a large arc. The attack itself was full of openings, but the gale of destructive power that it emitted showed that the brute had considerable strength.

    However, it didn¡¯t hit James. Despite having just dodged the lance, he was still able to  instantly move backwards so fast he left an afterimage, and the hammer crashed into the ground where he stood. A loud boom resounded and the ground caved into a small crater from the force of the strike.

    ¡°Hey, wait! I¡¯m not here to fight! You guys-¡± three consecutive fireballs made of hyper condensed fire essence stormed towards him, and the brute let out a battle cry before launching himself forward. ¡°Wai-¡± James dived underneath the war hammer¡¯s path and ran to the side to evade the fire balls which vaporized the trees behind him.¡±I¡¯m no-¡± he lept back as the brute launched himself at him with his shield in front of him to perform shield ram.

    Listen to what I¡¯m trying to say, James gritted his teeth, this was was starting to annoy him. While these two certainly seemed strong, they would not force him to use his true power. Yet despite seeming to realize this, they continued to mindlessly attack him, refusing to listen to what he had to say. ¡°Listen to me-!¡± He kicked off the side of the shield before it reached him and gracefully flipped over the head of the brute- before seeing another fireball right in front of him. ¡°Tch!¡± He attempted to twist his body in mid air to avoid it, but the mage detonated it prematurely, and his body was flung back against a tree. He quickly looked up to see the brute coming in for another shield ram.

    I¡¯ve had enough of this! James scowled, and brought up his right fist. In an instant, mana of such thick intensity, that it began to glow with a bright white light surrounded his body, filling it with strength. The brute¡¯s eyes widened with surprise, and he activated a magic ability of his own, a green protective aura had begun to cover the surface of his shield, and his already monstrous charge doubled in speed. James smirked. Maybe this will calm you down. He stepped forward and slammed his shining fist into the oncoming shield.

 Chapter 2

    *BOOM* a massive explosion of energy erupted from the two¡¯s collision, and a sound that should not have come from flesh and bone roared loudly. The large brute, who was over two and a half meters tall, was blown backwards with such force that the very ground beneath him followed, while both he, and his destroyed shield, crashed through several trees before rolling along the ground like a ragdoll.

    Crap! I overdid it! James panicked as he entertained the thought that he had killed his assailant.  No no no, what am I thinking? He attacked me first so it¡¯s fine...Right? Despite this sound argument, when he looked at the path of destruction he had just cut out of the forest, he could really only see his actions as overdoing it.

    Wait, what happened to the mage? Quickly scanning the area, he found the mage buried underneath a pile of dirt and debris. He laid there, unconscious and groaning, but after a quick examination, James found that he sustained a surprisingly few amount of wounds.

    Looks like he was able to defend in time, thank goodness. The other guy however¡­ James jogged down the small path that his attack had cleared out, and he found the brute lying in the dirt face up around 50 meters away.

    The man was, thankfully, still intact, however unlike his mage companion, he sustained quite considerable damage. For starters, his left arm which had held his shield, was completely smashed. It twisted unnaturally in several areas, and bone could be seen poking out of the skin. Besides the arm, he also had several deep cuts that ran out along his face and other exposed areas, and his right shoulder blade had been shattered as well.

    James was honestly surprised. Although he looked badly injured, the fact that he even survived at all was a testament to an incredibly durable body.

    James frowned. He survived, so that¡¯s a good thing¡­ but as for his injuries, they may be beyond me.

    Among the magic elements, healing magic was the specialty of priests, who had received the Goddess''s blessing. Therefore, it stood to reason that James, who also had the blessing of the Goddess, should be able to use healing magic too.

    But I¡¯m not confident in my skills to heal this man¡­ James thought worriedly to himself.

    Just because one could use healing magic, doesn¡¯t mean they would excel at it. In the end, it all relied on personal training to become proficient in any field. While James was by no means a weak magician, healing magic had always been his worst magic. This was mostly due to his neglect in training it.

    It¡¯s not my fault¡­ with my ¡®ability¡¯ healing magic became somewhat obsolete¡­

    Though James did indeed receive a blessing from the Goddess, similar to priests, the true nature of the power he had received was not in the form of healing magic, but something that could be considered far superior. An ability that had stunned his old comrades and allowed him to fight with demons from an early age to quickly accumulate power.

    If I leave him here¡­ he¡¯ll die. James thought bitterly. Even if he had only retaliated to an attack they had initiated first, that did not mean he was entirely without blame. For starters, he was the one who had concealed his presence and hid to spy on them. In this world where danger can be found in every corner, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for them to have mistaken him for a bandit or assassin. He also used far too much force in his attack. From their brief exchange, he had more or less gained an understanding of their level of strength and had judged it to not be a threat to him. But, rather then slip away, he had let his irritation get the better of him and went overboard with his retaliation.

    But is it worth the potential drawbacks of using it? That power isn¡¯t something I can just use so carelessly.

    As James weighed the concrete benefits and drawbacks, he realized that saving someone who he didn¡¯t know and had ruthlessly attacked him, held absolutely no real value to him. But as he started to walk away from the body, he stopped.

    ¡°No one will die¡­ I swear this to you James. I¡¯ll become a hero that you could never be!¡±

    He remembered. The voice of that fool who was constantly obsessed with saving people. Wanting happiness and love to be spread to everyone in the middle of war was just foolhardy, yet that man, his best friend, believed in such virtues til the day that he died.

    Haha¡­ Briant, are you still an idiot in this time period as well? I¡¯d hate to disappoint you¡­

    James turned around and drew his sword. The shining silver blade that appeared in his hands was like something out of a fairy tale. He walked over to the brute and pointed the blades tip at him.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°Rewind¡± as he spoke the activation word, mystical green light poured out into the surroundings.

    *Mage¡¯s point of view*

    ¡°Ahhg!¡± The mage, Rufus, jerked awake. ¡°W-What happened here?¡± He was lying in the middle of a clearing inside a forest that looked like a tornado had just stormed through.

    He remembered that man¡­ the one who had unleashed such a devastating attack on Galand¡¯s shield. He remembered from many years ago, the picture of a senior class representative from his school, a man with fiery red hair that had fired magic with such intensity that everyone in the crowd who had come to the opening ceremony had felt it¡¯s blaze.

    That such a person became a bandit of all things¡­ Unthinkable!

    Certainly, such a powerful person turning into something like that would be incredibly terrifying. Unfortunately, Rufus did not realize how mistaken he was.

    Wait, what happened to Galand?!

    As quickly as he could, he jumped up and began searching for his friend in the pile of wreckage that the man with red hair had left behind.

    ¡°Galand! Galand! Where are you?!¡± He shouted as he frantically searched around.

    ¡°Guhnn¡­¡± He heard the deep groan of his friend a little ways away.

    ¡°Galand? Are you all right?!¡± He rushed over quickly, preparing himself for the worst. Although he had great trust in his friends abilities, he vividly remembered the sight of Galand flying through the air from a great explosion, right before he lost consciousness. Not even he with his monstrous body could escape from something like that unharmed.

    He arrived by the body of his friend who was lying much farther away then he thought he would be, and was greatly surprised. Visibly, he looked fine. His arm that had braced his shield wasn¡¯t even broken.

    No wait¡­ He¡¯s not just visibly fine, He¡¯s not injured at all! Quickly checking over Galand¡¯s body, he couldn¡¯t find a single trace of damage to be found anywhere. With a quick glance around the area, he even found Galand¡¯s shield and hammer, both completely undamaged.

    What on earth happened here¡­? How is he ok? When he thought about it, no matter how durable his friend was, there was no way for him to take an attack that could cause this much devastation so easily. He and Galand had been training together since Rufus was a young boy, and he knew the older man¡¯s abilities well, so he knew for a fact that the man should have been seriously injured-maybe even dead-from the attack just now.

    ¡°GRAHHHH!!!¡± ¡°AHHH!!¡± Suddenly, Galand¡¯s eyes shot open, and he leapt up from the ground, scaring Rufus. ¡°Buggin hell! Wha- the, how the, wha¡¯ happnd here?!¡± As Galand quickly gazed around the area, his eyes widened as he saw the destruction.

    ¡°Y-you were struck by the bandit¡­¡± Rufus, still recovering from his surprise, breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that his friend was not in any danger.

    ¡°What do ya mean I was hit?!¡± Galand roared. ¡°THAT was not jus¡¯ sum hit!¡±

    ¡°Hey, calm down! I don¡¯t really understand either, but when you stop to think about it, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s something completely impossible! Arch mages from the capital ought to be able to do this much!¡± Rufus panickedly tried to calm his friend down.

    Galand¡¯s eyes narrowed in confusion ¡°Huh? Why woul¡¯ one of them fancy pricks be down here?¡±

    Rufus shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that he WAS an arch mage, only that there are people of his level that can do that. I think I recognized him, he looked like someone who was in the lead class from the magic school I graduated from.¡±

    ¡°Ok¡­¡± Galand finally started to calm down. He jumped up and down, and did some light stretches to get a feel for his body.

    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡± He felt fine, like he wasn¡¯t injured in the first place. ¡°I know right? I was surprised too, did you use a new magic ability to block all that damage?¡± Rufus asked, a little irritated that Galand had not shared it with him.

    ¡°No¡­ ruddy hell, that guy healed me!¡± Galand exclaimed. He remembered their clash well. The instant that man¡¯s fist had connected with his shield, his arm had shattered, and he was blown backwards. Rufus doesn¡¯t have healing magic, so unless some wandering priest had stopped to save him and then leave, then the only other option was the red haired man.

    ¡°What?¡± Rufus was skeptical. For someone to use healing magic, they had to have the blessing of a God or Goddess. This was largely limited to priests. Although it wasn¡¯t completely unheard of for someone other than a priest to receive a blessing, the likelihood of one appearing here was quite small.

    ¡°Come here, Let me check¡± Rufus walked around Galand and scanned his body with mana to search for traces of magic. His eyes widened.

    ¡°Wh- what is this?!¡± He had never seen magic like this before.

    This depth, I¡¯ve never seen nor heard of magic like this¡­ It feels reminiscent of holy magic, but healing magic leaves behind more abrupt magical charges, not to mention it can¡¯t fix Galand¡¯s hammer and shield.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. Maybe he did use healing magic on you...but that wouldn¡¯t make sense would it¡­¡±

    Why would someone who had just tried to kill you, save you, and then leave without a word? Rufus couldn¡¯t comprehend the actions of the red haired man.

    ¡°...Well getting hung over this won¡¯t help. What¡¯s done is done, no use pondering what we don¡¯t understand any longer than this. Come on, it¡¯s already noon, we have to get to Raitzal before night if we want to get a good inn.¡± Rufus smiled in an attempt to blow things over, but he couldn¡¯t quite get the scene out of his head. That kind of strength, mixed with a type of magic he had never seen nor heard of before, coupled with the fact that Galand appeared to be healed, none of it made sense.

    ¡°...Right, lemme grab my things.¡± Galand was well aware of what his young friend was thinking, and walked over the pick up his shield and hammer, both were similarly undamaged. Unfit for thinking very hard, Galand simply dropped the matter from his mind and let his friend do the pondering. ¡°Les¡¯ go¡± He gruffly addressed Rufus, and they both began following the path of a certain red haired ¡®bandit¡¯.

 Chapter 3

    Raitzal. Capital of the mighty kingdom of Rozen, it¡¯s splendor shined bright like the sun, and even from afar, one can feel the weight of opportunity to be found hiding in its depths.

    Because they were approaching the last of the fall, clean spring air blew through the crowds of people milling about in the streets, announcing the start of the new year. People from everywhere in the continent, even ambassadors from other countries had gathered to pay their respects to the King, as well as to see the famous Martial Tournament that was hosted at their grand arena.

    And in the midst of all the crowds of excitement, a certain young man with red hair strolled through the city while eating various foods.

    Wow, this city sure is incredible¡­ James thought to himself while he stuffed food he had purchased from various food vendors into his mouth. He couldn¡¯t keep the smile off of his face seeing how majestic the festivities seemed, and realizing that he finally would get to participate in it. He had of course been here before, but the majority of the city had been destroyed and was on fire the last time he saw it.

    If I recall correctly, then Hilfeim should be winning the tournament in around 8 days¡­?

    Naturally, James didn¡¯t come here just to participate in the tournament. Rather, he had come to put a stop to the first of the demon attacks on human countries.

    In the past, or rather, the future, a demon by the name of Helfeim had disguised himself and entered the tournament. The reason for doing so is the fact that the princess, who would meet with the tournament¡¯s victor, was an incredibly powerful priestess, who could use the powers of the gods themselves.

    Surrounding the capital of Raitzal was a barrier made of divine power, summoned by the princess, which repelled devils and other forms of inherent ¡®evil¡¯. Because humans weren¡¯t necessarily the proper representation of good, several factors like how powerful the opponent was, whether or not manual checking could find anything suspicious about them, and what the person had done in the past, all determined whether a person would be allowed through the barrier and into the city.

    Because of all these factors, powerful demons or enemies with poor intent, would not be able to enter the city no matter how hard they tried.

    The fact that Helfeim could enter the city at all, meant that he was both not powerful enough to be stopped, and he had not done anything evil in the past, meaning he was a fairly new demon.

    However, not being stopped by the barrier didn¡¯t necessarily mean that he was weak. The barrier itself was not sentient, so it could only make judgements based on rudimentary measurements. Mainly, how much raw mana one had.

    Although one could get a very general guess at how strong a person was based on the amount of mana that had accumulated inside their body, relying to heavily on this would instantly spell one¡¯s doom. The reason for this being that personal skill and unique abilities could not be determined by the amount of mana one had alone.

    Helfeim may have only been a low to mid tier demon, and thus didn¡¯t have a massive amount of mana, but he was an incredibly vicious and skilled demon, who had access to an incredibly wide repertoire of magic and combat skills, not to mention, he was named.

    Demons are unlike other monsters in this world because they cannot reproduce. They are merely spawned by malevolent energies in the south, courtesy of the Demon God. Because of this factory like process of demon creation, they are individually unimportant, and many demons are completely indistinguishable from one another.

    But like how special human individuals are given a blessing from the Goddess, demons can receive favour from the Demon God, in the form of names. When a demon is named, it becomes unique, and also receives a unique ability. Named demons are more frequent in the demon lands then blessed individuals are in Rozen, but the point of them being stronger than the rest of their kind still stands.

    If Helfeim manages to get to the princess, and she dies, then the barrier will will fall, and more powerful demons will storm into the city with their armies in tow.

    If James defeated Helfeim in the tournament, then he would have no chance to assassinate the princess, and the demon armies that lay in wait would never have the chance to assault Raitzal.

    I also need to do some research on the southern front. After I finish my business here, it would be good to have some info on how Rozen handles the demon lands before I show up there myself¡­ Well whatever, there''s plenty of time.Stolen novel; please report.

    As James searched the area for a good inn to book before going to enter his name into the tournament, he noticed a crowd of people that had gathered in one spot on the side of the road.

    What are they looking at?

    His curiosity piqued, he pushed through the crowds of people to see what at first appeared to be a brawl in the center of the circle, except in actuality, it resembled more like a one sided beating then anything. Lying on the ground was a young boy covered in rags, perhaps a resident of the slums, being one sidedly kicked by a group of older men. The smell of alcohol permeated the air, and it was evident they were drunk, it didn¡¯t take a genius to see who was in the wrong.

    James Frowned. Really now, such an impressive city and yet the guards here can¡¯t put a stop to such a senseless act of violence?

    To be honest, James really didn¡¯t want to help.

    Although he had saved the brute he had met earlier from perishing, it was because the injuries that would have taken his life were his own doing, and not anyone else¡¯s. No matter how much of a hero he was once hailed as, it was nothing but a title given to him by the people for slaying demons. He was not cruel, but he certainly wasn¡¯t nearly as virtuous as his other fellow heroes.

    He heard the crowd murmuring in worry, and he silently pitied the boy. Perhaps if the situation was different, and there were less people around, he would have stepped in to put a stop to it, but putting on a show of virtue in front of so many people wasn¡¯t his style.

    ¡°What is going on here?!¡± a sudden, feminine voice filled with dignity rang out.

    The people in the crowd gasped as they saw two individuals approaching them. The people parted way for them like a seperating sea, and James could hear whispers intensifying from those surrounding them.

    ¡°No way, isn¡¯t that ¡®saint¡¯ Elia? I knew she was visiting from the palace to oversee the tournament, but to come here¡­?¡± ¡°Who is that guy besides her? I¡¯m so jealous¡­¡± ¡°Wait! I know him! He¡¯s ¡®fiery dragon¡¯ Averus!¡± ¡°What are you all doing?! She may be a priestess, but she¡¯s still royalty! Bow!¡±

    Numerous whispers, that hardly counted as whispers due to their loud excitement, emanated from the crowd.

    James quietly observed as a young women who appeared to be in her early 20¡¯s stepped forward, trailed by a man wearing armour that appeared to be made out of polished bone.

    The woman was exceptionally beautiful, her clear white skin, nigh perfect facial features, coupled with her long silvery hair, instantly captured the attention of everyone around. She wore a simple white priestess robe.

    So this is the ¡®saint¡¯ princess?

    James was impressed. To the untrained eye, she may appear to simply be a stunning lady, but by looking beneath all the beauty, one would see an ocean of holy power churning with the strength of a ferocious storm, yet moving as gentle as a calm sea.

    She¡¯s very powerful no doubt, I can see why they call her the strongest priest ¡®saint¡¯. What about the one next to her? I heard something about a dragon¡­?

    Suddenly, the man¡¯s eyes turned towards him, a wave of pressure instantly enveloped his body. James was confused, but he still stared back unfazed by the show of intimidation. The man showed brief surprise on his face, then grinned and turned his attention back to the original scene before him.

    ¡°I ask again, what exactly are you doing here?¡± The princess asked harshly, her blue eyes were were filled with anger as she gazed coldly at the group of men before her.

    The men looked at eachother, stunned, before one of them who appeared to be the leader, stepped forwards.

    ¡°T-This, This brat made me spill my drink on myself¡­¡± his voice trailed off, he had clearly not anticipated the arrival of such a high up and powerful figure.

    ¡°And because of such an insignificant accident, you ganged up on him and beat him is that it?¡± the princesses asked harshly.

    ¡°I-It¡¯s hardly our fault! What, you want us to just let him go after that? He¡¯s just some slum brat! It shouldn¡¯t matter what happens to him!¡± The man screamed angrily, unable to control himself under the princess¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°...Hmph, I¡¯ve had enough of this. Averus, clean them up please.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± The man called Averus stepped forwards- and vanished.

    The other men instantly collapsed, and Averus, who had reappeared a little farther away from them, stepped back over their bodies and made his way back to the princess¡¯s side before the crowd had even realized what was going on.

    ¡°Guards, take them away and throw them into a cell!¡± The princess called out to the dumbstruck guards who had been previously been standing by and watching, as they scrambled to follow her orders.

    ¡°Come Averus, we¡¯re leaving.¡± As the princess turned around and started walking away, Averus turned around and looked back at James.

    ¡°Participating in the tournament?¡± He questioned curiously.

    ¡°Yep¡± James gave a short answer, doing his best not to give any impression. He was cautious of this man, who was clearly very powerful.

    ¡°I thought you were strong, you were the only one who followed my attack. Well, I¡¯ll see you in the arena then.¡± The man gave a friendly smile, before turning around and following behind the princess once again.

    James stood there dumbfounded at the exchange he had just witnessed.

    Impressive. With someone that strong protecting her, how on earth did Helfeim manage to kill the princess? I feel like I¡¯m missing something here¡­

    James looked back up to the sky, as he thought about it.

    Not that it matters. It will all end once I kill him anyways.

    James turned around and went back to looking for an inn.

 Chapter 4

    Elsewhere, near the center of Raitzal, existed it¡¯s world famous famous martial arena.

    No other word existed that described it as well as the word ¡®grand¡¯. Designed like a coliseum, it was so tall that it seemed to touch the sky and so wide that it made first time spectators wonder if the entire cities population could be hosted inside it.

    This was not the case. There was certainly an ample amount of seating for spectators, but the real reason for it being so large, was to create an apt battle setting for the ground shaking fights that took place here. Warriors far and wide came to participate in Raitzal¡¯s arena, and some of them, could alter the terrain itself.

    The light from the morning sun reflected off of the magically reinforced stones used in it¡¯s construction, creating a fantastical image that drew spectators in. Typically, crowds of excited people would wander around the area, taking bets, selling food, or just hanging around, but today there was none of that. Instead, a different group of people had filled the venue.

    There were men and women of all different types and appearances, some weren¡¯t even human, but the one thing that they all had in common was that they were fighters. Some were mercenaries, some were adventurers, some of the more properly dressed ones were even representatives of another nation''s military, and all of them were here to fight in the tournament.

    And within that crowd, a certain duo filtered through the waves of combatants.

    ¡°Galand! Hahh, hah, wait up!¡±

    A spindly mage clutched the gnarled staff he held in his hands and used it to support himself as he stopped to catch his breath. He greedily sucked air into his lungs as he wheezed over and over.

    ¡°Oh for the love of yer-!¡± Galand- who appeared to be nothing but a walking wall of muscle- abruptly stopped his gait and turned around with a shocking speed while other contestants around him darted to the side to avoid being trampled.

    ¡°Ruphus, are you comin or are ya gonna jus stand round all day pantin like a lass in heat?!¡± Galland roared in a exasperated tone. Although he probably wasn¡¯t trying to intimidate his companion, the pressure his yell gave off nonetheless startled the mage.

    ¡°Wha-! You act like I¡¯m the one at fault here!¡± Rufus¡¯ shock quickly turned sour as he talked back at his friend.

    ¡°You¡¯re walking as fast as I can run, and I¡¯m not the only one being disturbed here! You look like a behemoth charging through a horde of goblins¡± He stomped in frustration as he gestured to the surrounding crowd.

    ¡°Heh, but really your jus too frail now arncha?¡± Galland grinned at him, revealing his unaturally sharp teeth, creating a carnivorous smile that scared a few of the spectators.

    ¡°Why you giant bafoo-¡± Rufus¡¯ words trailed off as he cocked his head, staring at something in the crowds. Within the sea of people walked another duo, this one drawing monumentally more eyes then even the brute. His eyes widened in surprise and he excitedly stood up straight and raised his hand

    ¡°Oi! Elia! It¡¯s me, Rufus, and Galand! We¡¯re over here!¡±

    The crowd gasped in shock seeing the other group, and quickly parted to make way for the newcomers

    From within the sea of people walked a lady of incredible beauty. Her silvery hair lightly hung off her back and danced in the wind. Her clear skin practically sparkled in the sunlight, and nigh perfect facial features stood out in particular as a tantalizing smile appeared on her lips.

    She was Elia Belinde Rozen, Rozen¡¯s Princess, and the strongest ¡®Saint¡¯.

    ¡°Rufus, Galand! It¡¯s been so long! How have you been?¡± She quickly walked up to them, a man covered in armour that appeared to be made of polished bone followed quietly behind like a shadow.

    ¡°Oh, life''s been good, me and Galand just got here¡­¡± He peeked around her, having just noticed the warrior who was following her.

    ¡°Uhm, sorry, would you like to introduce your friend?¡± He gave a sheepish smile as he scratched his head.

    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s Averus, my guard, and an S-Rank Adventurer¡± She turned around after that casual introduction and lightly tapped the chest of the Imposing man.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Wha-!¡± Rufus gasped

    S-rank adventurers. The peak of the adventuring profession, and the heroes of mankind. Each one was said to be the equivalent of an army, and could tackle a calamity class dragon head on and win. Typically, these rare and legendary people would be be coveted by entire countries as secret weapons, and even Rozen, a country of incredible power in this world, only had a handful of S-Rank adventurers at their disposal.

    The fact that Elia had an S-Ranked adventurer guarding her just went to show how much the country truly valued her.

    Rufus and Galand had been adventurers together for a long time, over five years, and had befriended the princess after having partook in her protection detail during an embassy three years ago across the border to discuss the use of her power on the southern front.

    Although they were considered quite powerful at B+ rank, seeing an S-rank Adventurer who could be considered the absolute peak of the adventuring community, was quite the experience.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, dear friends of the princess¡± Averus¡¯ gently handsome features wrinkled as he gave a full smile and bowed low.

    ¡°Oh no! An S-Ranked Adventurer like yourself needn¡¯t be so humble around B Rankers like us¡± Rufus panickedly rushed to stop him and ended up giving a bow himself.

    ¡°Hehe, quite the polite one eh? I¡¯d like to have a bout¡¯ wit ya sometime. Even if I know I¡¯ll lose, fightin Mr S-Ranker would be an experience¡± Galand grinned and raised his hand which Averus shook.

    ¡°Wha- What are you going on about?! How could you be so rude!¡± Rufus quickly leapt up and admonished his friend in a panic. His hands waved comically waved around in the air and his face flushed red in anger.

    ¡°Pff- hahaha!¡± Elia doubled over in barely contained laughter, her bell like voice froze Rufus in his tracks during his unsuccessful attempt at reigning in Galand.

    ¡°No, no, sorry.¡± She smiled. ¡°It¡¯s just that Averus hardly cares for obtrusive formality like that.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, please treat me as you would any other adventurer¡± Averus straightened up as he made his request.

    ¡°That would be nearly impossible for me¡­¡± Rufus trailed off in amazement before giving a slight cough.

    ¡°V-very well. My apologies if I offended you, Averus.¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I understand S-Ranked Adventurers are rare, however if we are to face each other in the arena, it would be best if our relationship wasn¡¯t so cordial.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re participating in the tournament?¡± Rufus asked confusedly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the Elia¡¯s guard?¡±

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s fighting as the Royal Representative¡± Elia quickly chimed in, and seeing her explanation wasn¡¯t sufficient, continued.

    ¡°Averus here was recently promoted to S-Rank after defeating a fire dragon a scouting detail discovered flying near Hilton a few moons ago. Since the Royal family themselves are the ones who backed his ranking, he¡¯s here to both guard me and fight as our representative.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± Rufus murmured, and then immediately his expression deflated a bit. ¡°So that also means that we have no chance of winning this tournament¡± He said with a sigh.

    ¡°O¡¯ perk up Rufus, it ain¡¯t like like we joined this to win anyhow¡± Galand gave a loud laugh and slapped his friend on the back, causing him to yelp in pain.

    ¡°Son of a¡­¡± Rufus complained loudly as he rubbed his back, before something else caught his eye. A plum of strangely bright red hair that stuck out like a sore thumb as it bobbed up and down, filtering through the waves of people surrounding them.

    ¡°Wha- Galand wait here, I gotta confirm something!¡± He quickly darted into the crowd, ignoring the alarmed cries behind him as he pushed through the sea of people in front of him.

    ¡°He really is here¡­ that bastard¡­¡± Rufus tightly gripped the gnarled staff in his hands. Made from the stump of a thousand year old treant, it¡¯s mana conductivity was leaps and bounds above any staff he could get at even the best of blacksmiths, and right now he was silently pouring energy into it from his enormous mana pool.

    The red haired mage was there, standing at one of the many booths set up outside of the arena for tournament registration. A silly smile was etched on his face, and armed with nothing but what looked like an empty barbeque skewer, he looked fairly out of place amongst the hardened faces around him.

    ¡°... what is he doing here? The tournament? But then why did he attack us in the forest¡­¡± Rufus murmured to himself.

    Why would someone so ridiculously strong target them of all people inside a forest hunting ground primarily used by C-Ranked Adventurers? Rufus couldn¡¯t answer that question. It made no sense, unless he had some other objective in mind.

    Rufus gritted his teeth and prepared his staff. Whoever he was, it didn¡¯t matter. The stranger boasted power comparable to the top echelons of a country, but his name and face was completely unknown to him, despite his efforts to keep up with all the powerful individuals coming to Rozen for the tournament.

    If such a being held ill intent towards the venue where the ¡®Saint¡¯ Princess was, then it couldn¡¯t be good. The option of going back to get help from Galand, or perhaps Averus still remained, but in this sea of people, there was no guarantee he would be able to find the red-haired man again, or in such a vulnerable position.

    He was out of his league in terms of raw power, but in a sneak attack, he still had a chance. No matter how powerful the red-haired man may have been, he was human, and his flesh would burn the same as anyone else''s.

    Rufus gave up a silent prayer, asking for forgiveness to anyone who might get caught up in the blast, and raised his staff to fire.

 Chapter 5

    ¡°Hahh, hahh, hahh¡± A lone warrior struggled to take in breath. Various wounds snaked up his arms and legs, and the ruined armour he wore was torn to shreds whilst blood leaked out profusely.

    ¡°Guhh¡­¡± Green light leaked out of the scraps of his war apparel, spilling out into the surroundings in a blinding flash, and a brand new being stood there.

    Gone was the raggedly breathing warrior, strapped in destroyed and unwanted scraps of metal, and in its place stood a proud hero, shining silver covering every inch of skin, holding an exquisite, slim, one sided blade with the image of a griffon engraved into the guard.

    A mountain of blackened corpses surrounded him. Even in death, the grotesquely shaped bodies gave off horrific grins, painting a hellish landscape as far as the eye could see.

    ¡°I-, I did it... ¡° The man slowly whispered, the tension of a harsh battle easing out of his shoulders.

    He looked up to the sky laughing and gave off a roar as he held his blade up in triumph, glorified by the accomplishments of his heroic deeds, to blind to see the horrors hidden beneath what was just the tip of the iceberg¡­

    *************

    *knock knock knock*

    James slowly opened his eyes. His hands tightly gripped the soft linen sheets beneath him and he let out a breath as if he was trying expel all the bad inside his body outwards.

    *knock knock knock*

    Ignoring the grating sound for a brief moment, he sat up groggily and made to rub his eyes. He was inside a small but clean room, the floor and ceilings were made from old yet maintenanced wood, and a pleasantly sweet aroma wafted through the air, coming from a candle jar filled with scented oil that hung near the rooms doorway. A small desk stood to the left of his bed, and warm rays of sunlight poured through the thin curtains on the window that stuck unobtrusively to the wall on his right.

    *knock knock knock*

    ¡°Mr Everand? Are you there? My apologies, but you requested me to wake you for breakfast so¡­¡± A gentle feminine voice easily passed through the thin door. The voice was small, and timid, like it was ironically afraid of waking up the room¡¯s occupant despite the reason for it¡¯s journey.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m up¡± James gave a light reply as he stood and stretched, trying to shake off the last vestige of sleep that pervaded his body.

    Last night after exiting the scene of the main town, he settled down in a quaint, yet highly rated by the locals, inn called the ¡°The Guild Master¡¯s Pride¡±, and he had finally gotten a warm bed, and a decent meal for what seemed like the first time in a decade.

    Shaking his head to get rid of the disturbed expression on his face, he put on his best smile and quietly made quick, energetic strides to the door.

    ¡°Good morning my dear Lynn!¡± He opened the door as forcefully as he could, his smile turning mischievous as he watched the girl in front of him jump in fright from the sudden movement.

    The girl behind the door appeared to be in her late teen years, and although she was not particularly beautiful, her face gave off a pleasant- almost pure expression. Her long brown hair was braided and reached all the way to her lower back.

    ¡°G-g- good morning Mr-¡­¡± She whispered as she got up and attempted to compose herself, but in the middle of her sentence she froze. Her eyes bulged open and panic spread across her face again.

    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Alarmed at her sudden change, James stepped towards her and reached out his hands to check her condition, but she quickly whirled around and started dashing away.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry for intruding!¡± She screamed as she rushed off, leaving James to confusedly wave his outstretched hand in the air.

    ¡°Geez, What on earth was that about¡­?¡± He grumbled, suddenly feeling the cool breeze blowing through the hallway as it hit his body. He looked down only now noticing his unsheathed ¡®sword¡¯ dangling in the open air.

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    *******************

    James walked down the steps of the small inn, although the floor boards squeaked with a wearing age, he personally admired how well kept everything was. He was honestly surprised an inn with such quality services didn¡¯t host more guests, but then figured that if the place was owned by a single family, keeping too many people would affect the quality of the services that they clearly were trying hard to upkeep.

    Although it¡¯s unlikely I¡¯ll be able to stay here for much longer¡­ James quietly lamented his mistake with the daughter of the family that owned the inn, and thought how to apologize as he made his way down to the main area.

    ¡°Ah, Good morning dear guest, I hope you had a great rest, it might be the last good sleep you have for a while bwahahaha!¡± A bright and friendly voice called out to him from across the main dining area, which doubled as the front room for the inn.

    A tall and well built man stood there. Contrary to the wide smile on his face, his overall appearance oozed with intimidation. Although it was nothing compared to the giant brute James encountered in the forest on his way to Raitzal, the man¡¯s body was still incredibly well built. If you ignored the jolly atmosphere around him, he looked more like a warrior than an inn barkeep.

    ¡°Ryan dear, quiet down, you¡¯ll scare away our guest¡± A mature looking women scolded him from the side with a broom in hand, while Ryan quickly hurried to apologize.

    ¡°Apologies for my husband, he has no sense of delicacy.¡± She gave a wry smile as she watched the extra-stout man stooping so low with his head bowed in an apology. Her name was Mariel, and she was the owner of this inn that James had met last night.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Ah, no no, you don¡¯t have to apologize¡± James smiled back in response, then turned to Ryan. ¡°But why did you say something like that? Am I really getting kicked out after all¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hah..? Oh yeah, I heard you gave Lynn quite the scare hahaha!¡± He laughed ¡°But the lass needs to grow up anyways, no, that¡¯s not what I was talking about.¡± He grinned and pulled out a nearby chair before sitting on it backwards and folding his arms on top of the backrest.

    ¡°I was talking about the tournament! That¡¯s what you¡¯re here for right? Or are you here for something else?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m here for the tournament.¡± James answered with a frown. ¡°But you talk as if I¡¯m going to be destroyed. I may not look like it, but I¡¯m quite strong you know.¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, you misunderstand me. I wasn¡¯t calling you weak, boy. It¡¯s just that I got some interesting info from some old friends of mine that a certain someone is participating this time around¡­¡± He trailed off and gave a meaningful grin

    James was confused. Strong people joined the tournament all the time, that much was certain. The winner of last year''s tournament was a powerful A+ ranked adventurer, who¡¯s hammered blows were rumored to be able to crush mountains. Although the story was most definitely exaggerated a bit, facing powerful people was a given if you yourself were willing to participate. So what had Ryan acting so mysterious?

    ¡°...An S-Ranker¡± Ryan grinned. ¡°They say one of those legendary heroes is participating this time around! And with the royal families backing no less¡± He said with an admiring sigh.

    James¡¯ eyes widened. S-Ranked adventures were no joke. They were considered the absolute pinnacle of fighting strength in the adventuring community, and countries would shower them with prizes to win them over. Because of all that they represented, the gap between A+ and S-Ranks was not as simple as moving up the hierarchy in any other position. One had to possess true power and talent to achieve S-Rank, merely succeeding as an adventurer for a long time was not enough to see such an accomplishment.

    Hmmm, troublesome. Since it¡¯s the highest rank, there can usually be huge gaps of strength between two individual S-ranked adventurers. I¡¯m a prime example of that¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll lose, but I should be a little careful.

    In another time, James himself was considered one of the top ranked adventurers in the entire world. That kind of strength, mixed with his unique abilities, made him an existence that very few could contend with. It was what catapulted him to the front lines along with his other fellow heroes during the final stages of the demon invasion.

    And yet it still wasn¡¯t enough to beat that monster¡­ What am I thinking, that¡¯s not even come to pass yet.

    ¡°Thank you for the warning, I¡¯ll try and be careful.¡± He gave a grateful smile.

    ¡°Oh my a polite one, that¡¯s quite rare now days¡± Mariel remarked as she came over with a tray layden with delicious looking food.

    ¡°Only really to my hosts¡± James laughed as he received his breakfast with anticipation. It was a simple meal of soup with bread, and a few meat skewers that were probably leftover from the night before, but the smell was enticing. ¡°By the way¡­ It¡¯s been bothering me for a little while, but where is everyone?¡± James picked up the spoon Mariel handed to him and gestured about the empty dining room.

    ¡°Hahh, they¡¯re all either still sleeping, or already heading towards the arena since today is signup day.¡± Mariel sighed as she started wiping down the opposite tables with a rag. ¡°That pig head of a husband of mine used to be a mercenary, so he scares off any normal customers. Only fighters really come to us for rooms.¡±

    ¡°Wha-, who are you calling a pig head¡­ my own wifes a bloody¡­ can¡¯t believe¡­¡± Ryan grumbled as his voice quietly trailed off.

    ¡°Oh, sorry I couldn¡¯t hear that dear, what was that you were saying about your wife again?¡± Mariel turned around with a dangerous smile on her face

    ¡°Nothing, only that you are the most beautiful flower on the face of the planet¡± He quickly snapped back before forcefully standing up.

    ¡°In any case lad, if your signing up for the tournament, you might want to leave quickly. They have a lot of slots available, but they also have twice as many interested contestants, so if you don¡¯t get over there then you¡¯ll be left out.¡± He called out a warning as he walked out of the room in the direction of the kitchen.

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t mind him, Lynn got you up plenty early enough, just take your time¡± Mariel gave him one last smile before following her husband to the back.

    James sat still in the now silent dining room.

    ¡°What an interesting couple¡­¡± He smiled to himself as he took a small sip of his soup.

    *******************

    ¡°Wow¡­ That is a lot of contestants¡± James remarked to himself in sheer amazement as he gazed at the sea of people in front of him.

    Wanting to get a good spot in line, he simply grabbed his breakfast and rushed to the arena as quickly as he could only to be met with the seemingly endless amount of people who had apparently had the same idea as him.

    Will I even be able to make it¡­? James shook away his slight unease that he had been too late and began weaving his way through the crowd.

    Unable to stop gawking at the scene around him, he saw all manner of people shuffling through the venue.

    Men and women, young and old, large and small, from all manner of humanoid races were currently milling about with tempered and used weapons hanging from their waist and back. Many of the ones that he saw were much stronger than your average combatant, proving just how much talent was concentrated into this single area. The very air itself seemed to hum from the excess magical power thrumming through the atmosphere.

    I¡¯m not really joining to play around¡­ but man this is going to be so much fun. In the past, I only fought demons with my life on the line¡­ now I finally get to face intelligent fighters for a change.

    Unable to keep the grin off his face, he finally made it to the front of a registration booth where an aging male receptionist was waiting.

    ¡°Name¡± The man simply said with a tired sigh, clearly fed up with entering countless people into the roster all morning.

    ¡°James Everend, and If possible I¡¯d like to use some of the equipment provided by the staff for the preliminaries-¡± Suddenly James froze. He quickly swiveled his head around in alarm as his keen senses told him of a huge amount of power accumulating nearby that was targeted on his position.

    ¡°Dammit, who?!¡± He angrily cursed under his breath. Whoever was targeting him clearly had no regard for the fact that he was standing in the middle of a crowd.

    As he was preparing defensive measures for those around him, James finally locked eyes with the culprit. A spindly young man weilding a wooden staff was poorly hiding himself about ten meters away. His face was pale white from fear, but the amount of power his body was pushing into his staff was enough to obliterate the ground where James was standing.

    That man¡­ Just as James recognized him, a flare began to erupt from the end of the branch like staff.

    ¡°Stop!¡± James roared and his magic flared out in response. A huge pressuring wave of energy blew out from his body at the epicenter, causing many of the unsuspecting people around him to scream in alarm.

    Just as he was about to attack -- ¡°ENOUGH!¡± a voice he had heard the other day exploded through the area.

    Where before it was feminine and filled with dignity, now it was filled with ferocity, and the fighting spirit of a dragon. Golden energy erupted from the ground around James, squashing his own magical power and solidified into a solid barrier, trapping him inside a cage of what appeared to be pure light.

    A lone women marched towards him from the crowd beside him as James turned to the newcomer.

    Wait, the Saint is here?!

    ¡°Hold up! That man--!¡± Just as James began shouting to defend himself, he spun around again only to find his hand pointing at empty space. The robed mage was nowhere to be found.

    James grimaced. Things just got a lot more troublesome.

 Chapter 6

    James gritted his teeth with frustration as he watched the preceding events unfold.

    Stalking towards him with a fiery glint in her eyes was the ¡®Saint¡¯ princess Elia Rozen. Renowned for her incredible gifts with holy magic and the divine blessing she has from the Goddess, her power which could single handedly protect Rozen¡¯s capital from all forms of harm clearly showed that she would not an easy opponent. Behind her stood an impressive looking man wearing Armour that looked like it was created out of bones, he was ¡®Fiery Dragon¡¯ Averus. Being one of the youngest in a century to have achieved the peak of an adventurers career, the  lauded S rank, even facing an actually fully blooded dragon would prove an easier task.

    Dammit! What the hell kind of luck is this?! James inwardly screamed.

    All I wanted to do was sign up for the tournament and get out! And for that mage I saw earlier to attack me with no regard for our surroundings, what was he thinking?! Once again, James wanted to yell out against this injustice, conveniently ignoring the fact that he  almost killed Rufus and Galand with a single punch the other day, as well as being the one to spare them, thus leading to inevitable hostilities.

    Completely ignorant of James¡¯ internal conflict, Elia finished storming her way over to his location.

    ¡°You¡­What was your purpose for release such powerful magic in the middle of a public venue? I hope you have a good excuse to deliberately aim area of effect magic at so many innocents?¡± The princess interrogated the still contained James with an ice cold tone. Though her body was wrapped with a pleasantly soft golden light, the iciness in her voice completely blew away any misgivings one could have about her intentions. If James didn¡¯t answer correctly, it was clear she would not hesitate to eliminate him.

    Damn¡­ Where the hell did that mage go anyway? Because he bolted, the magic he was just about to use ended up being pinned on me.

    James quickly scanned his his eyes across the crowd of people around him in an attempt to find Rufus, but quickly gave up after realizing the princess was still waiting for his answer.

    ¡°Um¡­ your highness? My apologies for the disturbance, but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re misunderstanding. Though I did release magic power, I was not the one who generated that explosive magic attack earlier.¡± James spoke in the most amiable tone that he could manage, but from an objective perspective, his unnatural smile in such an intense situation only deepened the suspicions of those who looked upon it.

    ¡°Oh? Then who did? I only sensed your magical signature in this area, yet you say there was another?¡± The Princess cast doubtful eyes on James, though at the very least her hostility had lessened somewhat thanks to James¡¯s willingness to speak.

    ¡°Indeed. Another attacker was present in the venue, though it appears now that he has fled. Your highness seems like a very capable mage, you surely must have felt the type of magic that was being used no? Does it not feel rather incongruous with the amount of magic power that I released at the same time?¡±

    Elia frowned at that answer. It was true, the storm of mana that James had released just now completely overshadowed the scale of the magic attack she had felt activated earlier.

    ¡°It seems you understand. Again, my apologies for the disturbance, but my releasing of mana was intended to defend against the attack from my ambusher.¡± James breathed a sigh of relief as he sensed the doubt begin to fade from the princess¡¯s eyes as he continued his explanation.

    ¡°If you intend to go after the attacker, I¡¯d be happy to give you a description. My ambusher was a very thin young man with blond hair and dressed in a robe. He also used an interesting staff which after seeing twice, I suspect was crafted from the stump of an old Treant, but on that point I¡¯m unsure-¡± James immediately stopped speaking as he saw the change in the princess in front of him. Although her suspicion was starting to fade away before, now her face had tightened up in apprehension and shock.

    ¡°And? How do you know this person?¡± Although her voice remained neutral, even an untrained observer could see the change in her. Elia raised her hand in James¡¯ direction and deep currents of holy energy flowed into her palm.

    Crap! What on earth did I say wrong? Does she know the man that attacked me?

    James desperately thought of a way to diffuse this situation but could honestly think of nothing. It¡¯s not as if there was no way to calm down the princess, but simply because he was not particularly adept at negotiations. He was far more suited to weilding a sword in battle then anything else.

    Uhg, I can¡¯t think of anything. I didn¡¯t want to do this, since it would restrict my open movement in the city, but I¡¯m left with no choice.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    James quietly started to gather energy in his muscles as he looked for his escape route. His plan was to shatter the cage of energy around him with one blow then strike hard before fading away. The opposition did not know about his power and that came to his advantage.

    ¡°Please wait your highness.¡± Before James could do anything however, the man standing behind the princess spoke up for the first time. It was only a single word, but it had a powerful effect. Elia immediately lowered her raised hand in surprise and turned to her guard.

    ¡°Though it pains me to disgrace your highness¡¯ judgement, I humbly request that you let this man go.¡± Averus made an elegant bow as he made his plea. Though his request clearly went beyond the station of a bodyguard, he offered no explanation to Elia and simply remained with his head lowered.

    ¡°...Very well.¡± Though she gazed at Averus with questioning eyes, since the man himself offered no further comments on the matter, she simply gave an affirmative to his request.

    The golden light that trapped James immediately dispersed, along with the combative atmosphere that had been generated during the previous talks, however the princess still faced James with an attitude that did not give off any impression of having lowered her guard.

    ¡°Since Averus here has requested your pardon, I¡¯m willing to overlook your outburst earlier. What is your name?¡±

    ¡°James Everand.¡± Though a little flabbergasted at the absurdity of the recent events, James considered whether he should give a fake name before quickly discarding the notion.

    ¡°Hmm, you have quite a lot of mana for one so young, I look forward to seeing you in the tournament.¡± The princess turned around and left with those words, apparently ignorant to the fact that she was also extremely young yet had an enormous amount of power as well. Averus simply gave James a quick nod in acknowledgement before following after his charge.

    Still struggling to keep up with how quickly everything diffused, James shook his head a few times whilst ruminating on what had just transpired.

    Though he was considerably suspicious as to why the S-Ranked adventurer would aid him like that, he was nonetheless grateful for being relieved of that dangerous situation. That said, he had his own goals to accomplish in this town, and mullying over useless suspicions that could not be solved at the current time was useless.

    Still, to listen so meekly to her guard like that... I guess the princess is still just a girl.

    Chuckling to himself, James went back to the stock still attendent at the registration booth as the likewise shocked crowd finally began moving once more.

    ********************************

    To the quickly departing Elia, Averus jogged over and fell inline with her steps as they retreated  from James. As she saw him catch up, Elia snapped her head around to him instantly.

    ¡°Did you know him? I released him because you requested it of me Averus, and I trust you to have good intentions... but did you not see him accuse Rufus of all people for attempting to blow up a crowd of citizens?¡±

    A little miffed, the princess that currently complained to Averus was completely unlike the one that interrogated James with cold eyes and a battle ready aura. Like all the power she had just displayed had vanished, she looked just like she was, a young and beautiful princess who pouted when someone she knew went against her wishes.

    Averus smiled gently at her and bowed his head slightly as show of apology. It wasn¡¯t deep enough to properly apologise to royalty, but Elia wasn¡¯t honestly complaining, and their relationship with one another was beyond such petty trivialities.

    ¡°My apologies princess, but that wasn''t just an accusation. It was the truth.¡±

    Elia eyes widened with shock. Though James had already told her of the attacker, she did not truly believe him. Her faith in Rufus and Galand was great, and she had no reason to believe a stranger when he said one of her close friends attempted something so ridiculous. That said, anything she heard from Averus was to her, the cold hard truth.

    ¡°What do you mean? I don¡¯t mean to doubt you Averus, but why would Rufus do something like that?¡±

    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m unsure. When Rufus left our group earlier, I noticed his panic and followed behind. When I saw what he was doing, I decided to knock him out whilst you confronted the other one.¡± Averus pursued his lips whilst he explained.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything during your talk with Mr.Everand because of personal reasons, so for that, I must apologise once again your highness.¡± Averus stopped and gave a genuinely deep bow this time.

    ¡°Oh stop that, once back there was enough, but this is just plain ridiculous.¡± Elia hurredly looked away in a flushed panic at her partners overdone apology.

    ¡°And so? What are these personal reasons? You two have only just met today right? I didn¡¯t sense anything particularly impressive about him besides that odd red hair¡­¡±

    -If red hair is odd, then what does that make your appearance- is not something Averus decided to say aloud, instead he coughed to break off her muttering before he continued.

    ¡°Honestly, I wanted him to owe me a favor. Your highness is surely powerful, but your actual combat experience is somewhat lackluster, therefore you failed to sense Mr.Everand when I met him yesterday in the city at the scuffle you put an end to yesterday.¡±

    Elia gave an ¡®oh so that¡¯s where you met him¡¯ look in understanding.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m a little lacking in combat experience¡­ What did you sense that would make you want this James fellow to owe you a favor?¡±

    Averus grinned. Unlike his polite manner that he normally graced others with, his smile now was bestial, the kind a true warrior with a hunger for the thrill of a fight would wear.

    ¡°Oh nothing much. I¡¯m just really looking forward to our fight is all¡­¡±

    Elia, a bit overcome with his presence said no more as the two walked back to where Galand was waiting.

 Chapter 7

    Darker than dark, deeper than deep, a haze of despair and destruction that utterly rejects the lifeforce of living creatures. Such fog billows across the sky, blotting out the sun and keeping the peace of everlasting night.

    In an area deep to the south, a hellish landscape paints the area as far as the eye can see. Miasma thick enough to instantly kill weak willed individuals is in constant motion, seeping it¡¯s way across the ground, foregoing the privilege of life for any animals or humans.

    Despite these horrendous conditions, the atmosphere itself is lively. A hustle of movement can be felt all around as thousands- no, tens of thousands of deeply colored abominations scurried about.

    These creatures of evil, though mutated to horrible degrees of disfiguration; still moved with clear purpose, steadily marching north. Winged variants could be seen flying above, and elated smiles of expectation were plastered on their faces as these lesser demons dreamt of their destination.

    There on a hill overlooking this march of horror, two individuals-clearly different then the mooks they oversaw-stood.

    The first being, though similar in appearance to the marching demons below, was a distinctive individual due to the immense might he radiated. Though humanoid in shape, the demon stood over 9 feet tall. Obsidian black skin, flexible yet stronger than steel covered his entire body, and a forked tail even longer then himself flicked behind him. Thick muscles rippled across his enormous frame, and his face which lacked eyes or a nose, had a unnaturally long slit of a mouth running to the sides of his head. Dangerous indigo flames licked across his whole body, infusing dread upon all who gazed on it.

    The second individual, stood starkly contrasted to his monstrous partner. Completely out of place amongst the thousands of demons, this being had the appearance of a young man. Long black hair was swept over his head, and the fair skin that covered his well structured face gave off the impression he had never walked outside before. He wore simply clothes, a white cotton shirt and brown trousers, along with a pair of leather boots. In fact, the only thing about him that could be said to appear inhuman would be his deep red eyes.

    ¡°Magnificent, isn¡¯t it? It hasn¡¯t been very long since my birth, but even I understand it¡¯s quite rare for so many demons to be gathered in one area. I¡¯m impressed, Agares¡± The casual tone in which the young man addressed the creature beside him, would make any listener doubt their ears.

    Agares crossed his arms and snorted. ¡°Ha, sometimes I forget your still a greenhorn, Hilfeim. I¡¯ve been alive since the beginning of demonkind. The days when our lord ravaged these lands with a sea of never ending demons was quite the sight to behold.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m envious that you got to see that.¡± Hilfeim gave a composed smile as he gazed out upon the army in full march. Mad delight danced across his eyes as he pictured what the glory days of demonkind must have been like.

    Agares turned his head around to look directly at Hilfeim- though how he could see with no eyes to speak of was still in question.

    ¡°Of course all this effort will be wasted if you don¡¯t successfully accomplish your mission, Hilfeim. I¡¯d hate to have brought my forces all this way for nothing¡­¡± Agares smiled threateningly, revealing multiple rows of small, sharp teeth.

    Though Hilfeim appeared at ease standing next to this monstrous creature, even he could not stop the flow of cold sweat that ran down his back when threatened by such a powerful demon.

    The archdemon, Agares ¡®The Destroyer¡¯. As one of the eight demon generals headed by the demon king, he was a monster among monsters. Tales of old spoke of how he easily ripped human lands apart with his bare hands, unmatched even by his peers in a test of raw strength.

    ¡°Naturally, I shall not waste the trust your grace has put in me. That said, this will all be for naught if after I bring down Raitzal¡¯s barrier, there are no demons ready to commence the attack.¡± Pushing aside his own fear, Hilfeim still shot back at Agares with a challenging gaze.

    ¡°Hmph, cheeky brat. That has already been accounted for. Though the wall the humans keep at our borders is a bit troublesome, one of my peers has already agreed to help.¡± Agares stated with confidence.

    ¡°Though only a small portion of my forces can be teleported in at once, with me at the lead, Raitzal will fall easily.¡±

    ¡°Hmm that sounds quite promising. I look forward to seeing your accomplishments in battle, oh great destroyer.¡± Hilfeim gave an elegant bow. Such movements were fitting of his handsome appearance yet these ordinary actions seemed rather out of place amongst this particular company.

    ¡°I too, have been gifted strength by our God personally. Though I¡¯m sure my abilities pale in comparison to someone as renowned as yourself, I will still of course fulfill the duty assigned to me.¡± Hilfeim grinned, eager to display the powers he had been recently granted.

    Though Hilfeim could be considered weak compared to the monster next to him, that simply was because the target for comparison was far too strong. His own strength if measured on a scale would be quite considerable under the ordinary laws of common sense.

    That said, ¡®Strong by ordinary standards¡¯ was not enough to play the role of assassinating the ¡®Saint¡¯ of Rozen. Hilfeim¡¯s true abilities lay in his incredibly powerful array of illusionary magics. He could viciously tear apart his opponents along his blade and they would never even understand what had happened.

    But of course, for a demon who specialized in absolute strength and destruction like Agares, such tricks would be pointless as it was unlikely Hilfeim could deal any sort of damage to the monster before him, before he, and everything in his immediate vicinity was obliterated.

    Though the princess of Rozen was said to wield incredibly powers, she was still just a girl who had lived in the shelter of guards her entire life. Her defenses for assassins would be rather weak, and no matter how powerful a human was, a sword to the heart was incredibly lethal.

    ¡°Good. I expect great things from you. Do not disappoint me.¡± Agares rumbled, before turning back to his marching troops.

    ¡°FORWARD! TO THE DOWNFALL OF HUMANITY!¡± He roared. The air shook with his presence as his power burst forth, washing over his troops.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    The roars and screeches of abominable creatures echoed throughout the landscape. Embracing the carnage they were promised was to come.

    *********************************

    ¡°Hmm¡­. No that¡¯s not it¡­ Not here either¡­¡± Muttered a red haired youth quietly to himself as his eyes scanned rows of thick text.

    James Everand, hero, demon slayer, a man of many titles and one who could wield such incredible power that he could wipe out entire armies single handedly, was currently immersed in reading a book.

    Rozen¡¯s capital Raizal was a city famous for many things, and it¡¯s main library was a great attraction for scholars all over the continent. Though James was not a scholar by any means, he was also not dumb. He knew of the value information had and was determined to do his research before he charged out to the front.

    In the past- or future, the demon war began with the destruction of Raizal, but the demons had strategy in mind when choosing this city in particular. It also stood as the closest landmark to the great wall, which separated the demon lands from the rest of the continent.

    If any sizable attack was launched at the wall from inside the demon lands, the best chance for reinforcements would come from Raitzal.

    The demon plot was thus to destroy the wall¡¯s most powerful source of reinforcements, then travel south and commence a pincer attack on the wall from both sides, inevitably leading to its destruction.

    With the wall out of the way, there would be no official separation between the demon lands and the rest of the continent, and each country would be scrambling to defend itself whilst invasions destroyed the great kingdoms one by one.

    As if I¡¯d be foolish enough to let that happen. James smirked to himself.

    When it happened before, the demons got progressively stronger as the war raged on. So did the humans, myself included. However since I traveled back in time, my abilities have stayed the same as they were then. Defeating a demon general by myself should be well within the range of my capabilities.

    James continued searching through texts as he finally found an old tome that dated historic efforts to the walls upkeep throughout the ages. Excitedly, he flipped it open and began reading the texts within.

    ¡®The Great Wall - Dated back to the year 1320, is a magical marvel that far outstripes modern day magics. Built with specially enchanted blocks of stone, the wall which stands over 100 meters high, and extends farther than the eye can see, retains defensive strength on par with Ironhide Dragonscales. Currently, its overseeing is the responsibility of one of the six great kingdoms, Rozen. Created with lost magical techniques, the wall has successfully repelled demonic invasions for the past 500 years. Common opinion amongst researchers claim that before the construction of the wall, demons were considered the most dominant creatures on the continent, (see ¡°Demons of old by Eorlund Behmen.¡±).

    Ignoring the texts related to demons, as James considered himself very proficient in facing them already, he moved his eyes down the page when a passage relating to the wall¡¯s origin caught his eye.

    ¡®Although no one knows who constructed the original wall, the most widely accepted theory today is the ¡®origin¡¯ tale presented by believers of the Two Gods.¡¯

    The Two Gods? Since when has religion been accepted as fact in a history book¡­

    James was never a religious man, so he was a bit lacking when it came to matters concerning faith. That said, you would have to be living under a rock to not know the most basic beliefs about the most popular religion on the continent.

    Standing up from his seat, he quickly strode past a few more bookshelves that labeled documentation on everything from magic beasts to scroll creation techniques, yet surprisingly could not find any information at all concerning the religion of the Two Gods.

    Lucky for him, as he was turning around in confusion during his search, an old man dressed in the garbs typically given to the librarians assigned to different sections came over to him.

    ¡°Hello there, is there any way I can help you today?¡±The man gave off a kindly smile as he gestured to the bookshelves around him.

    ¡°Yes of course. Sorry, I¡¯ve looked around, yet I just can¡¯t seem to find any texts relating to the religion of the Two Gods around here¡­¡± Relieved, James quickly stated his needs to the librarian in hopes that he was just looking in the wrong area.

    The man frowned ¡°Oh, well I¡¯m sorry then young man. If you¡¯re looking for detailed religious texts, then this library isn¡¯t correct place to be looking. I suggest you make your way main temple, it resides in the flower district near the city hall.¡±

    James gave off an apologetic smile. ¡°No need to apologize, I guess it was my fault for assuming that there would be a section devoted to religion inside a library devoted to scholars and historians. It makes sense that you guys wouldn¡¯t want to mix facts with fiction.¡±

    ¡°Whilst that line of thinking would normally be correct¡­ we did actually have a few books lying around here devoted to that cause. After all facts in religion cannot always be dismissed by scholars, and references to the Two Great Gods can be found in hundred year old literature anywhere.¡±  The old man explained a little hesitatingly.

    ¡°Unfortunately, all of the books that we had in the library pertaining to the topic have now all been burned.¡±

    James eyes widened as he looked at the old librarian with an aghast expression.

    Realizing what kind of connotations that sentence could have, the old man wove his hands around in a -it¡¯s not what you think- kind of fashion.

    ¡°Oh no, please don¡¯t misunderstand. It was not the library¡¯s decision to do this, but rather was a movement forced upon us by the crown.¡±

    ¡°What? The Two Gods religion has an enormous following. Why would the crown force such an unreasonable condition on the library when it could anger so many people?¡± James was honestly amazed. With the kind of backing that The religion of the Two Gods had in society, it was not hard to imagine riots would occur if people found out that the royalty themselves were forcing religious texts to be burned.

    ¡°Have you only just traveled here lad¡­? No, you must be here for the tournament. Half the people who come through here these days are.¡± The old man muttered to himself before lowering his voice to barely above a whisper.

    ¡°Be more careful for yourself when you start asking questions about those kind of things whilst inside the walls of Raitzal, lad. Recently a religious cult calling themselves the ¡®True seers¡¯ have risen up lately. They oppose the main following of the Two Gods religion, and are extremely radical in their efforts, so the crown has been forcefully making attempts to curb anything that might cause hostilities.¡±

    A religious cult? One that even the crown would move to appease?

    ¡°In any case, if you want to know more about the religion of the Two Gods, try the temples. They¡¯re the only place where it¡¯s still practiced... somewhat safely.¡± The man gave him a meaningful look.

    After thanking the man for his help, James made his way out of the library and considered what he should do next.

    Given what was stated in the textbooks he looked through, he wanted to give a visit the temples to see if he could learn more about what the priests there had to say about the wall, but it was more curiosity then anything which drove that urge.

    Just as he was considering his options-

    ¡°Excuse me!¡± a voice rang out.

    Turning around, he saw a young boy still in his early teens running towards him.

    ¡°Sorry¡­ You¡¯re Mr. Everand correct? I¡¯ve been sent from the arena. Could you please follow me? Your first match has been decided.¡±

    James blinked in surprise. Considering he had only left the registration area a few hours ago, he figured it would at least take a day before any fights were held.

    Oh well. Guess my next move is decided already.

    ¡°Alright, lead the way.¡± He grinned.