Novel Will Be Taken Down on 17 May or Earlier Chapter 28 - The Knights of Lionheart (1)

There is a saying that a dog raised in Sodang for three years can chant Chinese lessons ^[1] A dog raised in Sodang for three years can chant Chinese lessons: It’s a proverb that probably means that even a fool can be smart if they learn in the right environment. Sodang is a school for kids of noble families. .

 

‘Well, not until three years.’

 

At any rate, my brain was better than a dog.

 

Thanks to that, I was able to recall.

 

The class at the Akshan base.

 

– The Seven Deadly Sins. Like the demon lords, they are called the great ones.

 

Seven deadly sins.

 

They were the so-called common seven sins.

 

Pride, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, sloth.

 

Yeah, those words smelled important.

 

In terms of names, they were different from normal demons.

 

– You won’t have to run into them now. Be aware and vigilant. Because in the future, the day will surely come when you will encounter those great evils.

 

That’s what Akhshan demon hunter had said.

 

It was only natural that they were strong.

 

That meant back then it wasn’t the time for them to appear.

 

There was also no need to explain further.

 

But wasn’t that a story from 12 years ago?

 

‘Unfortunately, that’s all I know.’

 

Because I just started in Arcana like this.

 

Again, the 12-year gap is biting my ass…!

 

But for now, this was enough.

 

‘I am certain.’

 

The quest window.

 

And I realized it clearly from the message just now.

 

[The Yusra Islands begin to be stained with greed.]

 

[Collapse progress: 1/10]

 

The great evil that crouched in the Yusra Islands.

 

It was one of the Seven Deadly Sins, ‘Greed’.

 

Then the collapse progress made sense.

 

‘When the progress is complete, the great evil will wake up.’

 

…Wow. Wait a minute.

 

I almost got goosebumps for a moment.

 

Because I was suddenly reminded of the setting of the Yusra islands.

 

‘…Isn’t this a trap?’

 

Isn’t this environment too favorable for the great evil?

 

The Yusra Islands were a legendary treasure island.

 

Their greediness aside.

 

Of course, humans wanted to find legendary treasures.

 

Just like now.

 

The buzzing players.

 

One of them shouted.

 

“It was Shining! I heard they already finished raiding an island!”

 

“Wait, then one-tenth, this means…?”

 

“That’s right. I think it rises up every time you clear an island in the Yusra Islands. Anyway, what did they get? A treasure!”

 

“Are you crazy? They openly reveal it? But it must be true that they acquired the treasure of the island.”

 

The Yusra Islands consisted of 10 islands.

 

One of them was cleared by the Shining Guild.

 

Then the collapse progress rose.

 

‘So, it’s true.’

 

No, it’s certain.

 

The moment they captured all ten islands.

 

The great evil, Greed, that slumbered in the Yusra Islands would wake up.

 

But isn’t that too despicable for a great evil?

 

“It’s despicable.”

 

They were said to be a big shot, but they left this trap.

 

“But because it’s so despicable, it has to be a demon.”

 

That was my impression after knowing the truth.

 

And the moment I realized the truth.

 

“!”

 

The quest window flashed.

 

[Class quest: Fetal Movement]

 

The curtain rises and a beacon flares up.

 

The last demon hunter.

 

Light up the world covered in evil.

 

– Train your weakened body. (Repeat)

 

– Investigate the great evil of the Yusra Islands. (In progress)

 

– Prevent the resurrection of the Greed of the Seven Deadly Sins. (in progress) ▲

 

• Don’t let the treasure of the islands be stained by greed. (In progress)

 

It could have been worse.

 

Dispose of greed, not the great evil.

 

Either way, whether I had to kill it or stop it.

 

Both were hopeless.

 

‘Will they stay still?’

 

I turned to the players again.

 

“Let’s hurry. Whether it’s the treasure of the island or whatever. We should get one too!”

 

“…But can we do that? Looking at this, I think the progress of the collapse will increase.”

 

“Sunbae, is that our business? It’s not something that can be solved by just standing still. The other bastards won’t care about collapse or anything else. They’ll just look for treasure.”

 

What can I say.

 

It’s how normal people would react.

 

People were not saints.

 

If you’re here to look for treasure, you must find it.

 

‘And they don’t know that this is a trap.’

 

So, I didn’t want to criticize them.

 

Not just those players.

 

At this moment, every player in the Yusra Islands would be thinking the same thing.

 

That’s why it was hopeless.

 

I thought realistically.

 

‘Persuade them? Absolutely impossible.’

 

You can take my word for it.

 

First of all, they wouldn’t believe that I was a demon hunter.

 

Even if such a class existed in Arcana.

 

They would have deleted all the characters 10 years ago.

 

In that case…

 

There was only one way.

 

I have no choice but to claim the treasure of the island for myself!

 

The goal of the quest was.

 

To prevent the treasure of the island from being stained with greed.

 

Then wouldn’t it be enough if I acquire the treasure of the island without greed?

 

Of course, it was also only possible for a saint.

 

But I knew.

 

The saint was right here.

 

『For Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo, wealth is fleeting. Born as the successor to a great family and having experienced the end of prosperity, he has no reason to obsess over wealth and glory.』

 

Yeah, even in front of 110 billion.

 

Even in the face of the pure emerald crystal, a unique material item.

 

Far from being greedy.

 

The person who doesn’t even move the corners of their mouth, isn’t the saint me?

 

So without delay.

 

“I must hurry.”

 

All to prevent the resurrection of greed.

 

I’ll claim the treasure of the islands…

 

No, I’ll have to grab them all.

 

*

 

Shining.

 

Rox checked the message.

 

“…Collapse progress? Camilla, Dmitry.”

 

“Oh, I got that too.”

 

“Me too!”

 

Shining, the best guild in the world.

 

2nd in the player rankings, Rox.

 

His talent, as well as his accumulated experience, was telling him.

 

“I think it’s because we acquired this treasure.”

 

Rox shrugged.

 

Yes, there was no way Yusra Islands would plainly give away their treasures. This game would start after all the treasures of the 10 islands were acquired.

 

“Have the countdown started?”

 

“Ugh. I don’t like it~ I was planning on taking it easy.”

 

“By the way, when is Jessie coming? Ouch!”

 

Please go easy on him.

 

Dmitry cured his injury.

 

Jessie was absent because she was attending the conference in Mage Tower.

 

It wasn’t a big problem for Shining’s power.

 

Even without Jesse, they had just gotten rid of the named monsters that exist on each island and acquired the treasure of the island.

 

“Well, I haven’t heard from her yet.”

 

There was no contact from Jesse.

 

But Rox was aware of the incident at the Mage Tower.

 

He had a rough guess.

 

Shining, the best guild in the world.

 

Even if it wasn’t Jesse, there were plenty of players that were skilled enough to participate in the Mage Tower’s regular conference.

 

Such guild members were talking together.

 

‘It’s a good thing I set him as a dangerous person.’

 

Lee Hoyeol.

 

His movements were unusual.

 

Of course, the Mage Tower incident was beyond Rox’s imagination, too.

 

‘I’ve never been to the upper floors before.’

 

Of course, he hadn’t even talked to the chief mage.

 

So he should make it clear at this point.

 

“What kind of stance should we take?”

 

To be friendly or hostile.

 

He had to decide his position on Lee Hoyeol.

 

Rox brushed up his flowing bangs.

 

“I want to be as favorable to him as possible. Don’t you think so?”

 

“Agreed. Just Skal alone is tiring.”

 

“I agree~ Even just the suggestion with Skal breaks my head.”

 

Then they had no particular reason to be hostile.

 

As Rox murmured, Camilla whispered.

 

“More than anything, if you don’t want to be hated by Jessie, you’d better be careful. It’s unusual~ Her eyes were twinkling. Just like when I first knew love…”

 

“Isn’t it only because of the strange skills? That’s the only time Jessie’s eyes sparkle.”

 

“…You’re really destroying the mood. And do you even know how a woman feels? Well, if you knew, you wouldn’t have been dumped after renting the entire hotel lounge~”

 

“…Have you lost it? Hey, are you done talking?!”

 

Anyway, the moment Shining decided to take a stance regarding Hoyeol.

 

Another message appeared.

 

[The Yusra Islands begin to be stained with greed.]

 

[Collapse progress: 2/10]

 

It had officially begun.

 

In the end, the Union must have acquired the treasure of the island.

 

Leaving the two squabbling people behind, Rox said.

 

“Let’s move slowly. To the next island.”

 

*

 

[The Yusra Islands begin to be stained with greed.]

 

[Collapse progress: 2/10]

 

Is it because there is a certain reward at stake?

 

The pace of progress was fast.

 

I said I would monopolize the treasure of the islands.

 

I had no choice but to revise my ambition.

 

‘First of all, at least on this island.’

 

I had to acquire the treasure of this island.

 

In fact, it was inevitable that just acquiring one was already too much.

 

Top guilds such as Shining and Union.

 

Have I mentioned that 1st in the rankings, Skal, might move as well? 

 

In other words, I had to win the treasure of the islands while competing with those players.

 

Fortunately, it was possible to prevent the resurrection of the great evil by acquiring only one treasure of the island.

 

‘Because even if only one part is missing, the condition cannot be met.’

 

…By the way, I wonder.

 

What kind of item is it?

 

To be called the treasure of the islands.

 

‘Is this greed?’

 

There was no such thing as being swayed in body and mind by this greed.

 

Well, even in a situation where my life was at stake, I hadn’t break.

 

Recalling Grandfell’s pride.

 

I knew that very well through experience.

 

The moment I got out of the palm tree forest.

 

I saw something shiny in the distance.

 

‘Armor, is that plate armor?’

 

It wasn’t a strange sight on the Yusra Islands full of players.

 

Thinking about it, I looked a lot weirder in a suit.

 

Anyway, what stopped me was their unity.

 

‘All of them are wearing plate armor.’

 

There seemed to be a hundred of them at least.

 

All of them were wearing plate armor.

 

I could tell from there.

 

‘They’re not players.’

 

Wearing plate armor.

 

Only players in the warrior class or knight class did that.

 

‘They have no reason to crowd around.’

 

Because there was nothing more inefficient than having a single class stick together.

 

In that case, are they NPCs?

 

My confident steps didn’t stop even as I was thinking.

 

‘As expected.’

 

Thanks to that, I saw the pattern engraved on the armor.

 

Lion’s head on the shoulder

 

I opened my mouth.

 

“The Knights of Lionheart.”

 

It was a pattern that even I, who had cut ties with Arcana for 12 years, could never forget.

 

Lion’s head.

 

It was the symbol of the Knights of the Lionheart, which were rumored to be the strongest knights in the empire.

 

‘Just like the Mage Tower, the Knights of Lionheart were summoned.’

 

Indeed, befitting the reputation of being the strongest in the Empire.

 

They matched perfectly.

 

The plate armor also shone like a mirror without a speck of dust.

 

Even through Grandfel’s aesthetic point of view, words of acceptance came out.

 

“Your reputation precedes you.”

 

Of course, Arcana was no longer a game.

 

The same was true for the NPC.

 

That meant if they heard my self-talk, they didn’t just skip it over.

 

“Who might you be?”

 

A man who seemed to be the captain of the knights asked.

 

…What’s with that tone of voice that gives off a sense of kinship?

 

I replied as always.

 

“I am Lee Hoyeol. I didn’t expect to meet the Knights of Lionheart in a place like this.”

 

…Wait, anyone who sees this will think we’re filming a historical drama!

 

This was a different kind of shame than before.

 

I was feeling ashamed because of the excessive words.

 

But as with greed.

 

There was no expression of my inner shame.

 

I had the audacity to ask the man back.

 

“May I also ask your name?”

 

The man looked startled at my question.

 

“…Looking at your outfit, you must be an adventurer.”

 

It brought back memories.

 

NPCs used to call players adventurers.

 

Anyway, I didn’t expect to be pointed out about my outfit by NPCs.

 

I should put on armor or something, seriously.

 

Then the man continued.

 

“You seem a little different from other adventurers. I am the Knight Commander of Lionheart, Harkon Kingsguard.”

 

Knight commander.

 

This is sudden, but I want to give regard to my liver.

 

‘Isn’t this enough to make my liver more than swell up?’

 

(Tl note: Swelled-up/inflated liver = doing reckless things without fearing possible consequences.)

 

The highest order of the Empire.

 

Even in front of the Knight Commander of Lionheart.

 

I could stand up straight like this.

 

Well, it was nothing strange.

 

I had done worse to Marcelo, a chief mage of the Mage Tower.

 

“But, Adventurer. Unfortunately, this is not the time for private small talk.”

 

Harkon seemed to feel sorry.

 

At the end of his speech.

 

Kuung–!

 

My field of view shook.

 

To be exact, it was due to the shaking of the ground that I stepped on.

 

I could tell.

 

‘It’s a named monster.’

 

I saw it in the update history.

 

It was certain that named monsters existed on each of the ten islands.

 

Looking at it, Harkon seemed to be hunting that named monster with the knights.

 

Of course, even so.

 

My plans wouldn’t change.

 

“You are right. There is no time for small talk.”

 

The knights pulled out swords and shields.

 

I also raised my spell.

 

Then Harcon said with a surprised look.

 

“Adventurer, that monster is dangerous. Step away from…?!”

 

Step away from what?

 

Harkon’s words halted.

 

For some reason, his gaze was on my suit…

 

No, it was fixed on the brooch.

 

Harkon asked me with a puzzled expression.

 

“No way, that brooch…? Adventurer! Do you have contact with the Mage Tower?”

 

…Wait, this reaction is kind of interesting?

 

But like I just said.

 

To Harkon who was waiting for me to open my mouth.

 

I spoke firmly.

 

“Didn’t I tell you? We’ll share a private talk after the work is done.”

 

Thump–!

• 1. A dog raised in Sodang for three years can chant Chinese lessons: It’s a proverb that probably means that even a fool can be smart if they learn in the right environment. Sodang is a school for kids of noble families.