My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness - Chapter 147

#147

Hero Party (1)

“I am Heinrich Saint Landguard, the first sword that upholds the will of the Lord. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit us.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, saint. My name is Isea Pristine of the Azerion Empire. “The savior of the continent chosen by God is calling me, so of course I must come.”

In a reception room of Roselia’s main temple, a man and a woman faced each other and exchanged greetings.

A one-on-one meeting was prepared between the candidate and the saint for an interview.

“Saint? “Before we begin, I have something to tell you…”

However, before the actual conversation even began, the first topic that Se-ah Lee brought up was about the unpleasant aura and sense of strangeness that she sensed from Harley.

‘Still, I thought I hid it pretty well, but it’s not that easy.’

Of course, what he had to say about it had already been decided.

“You don’t have to worry about him. “We are already aware of this fact, and more than anything, he is someone we can definitely trust.”

“As expected, it was like that. “If the church judged it that way, then I was worried for no reason.”

After confidently dispelling her concerns, the topic returned to the main topic.

Since the mainstay of the ‘warrior party’ to fight against the Immortal King was the saint and warrior Heinrich, he was handling this matter with full authority.

In this case, even the saint was merely a helper, and all decisions were left entirely to his personal judgment.

“…So, I am truly grateful that you think highly of me, but due to various circumstances, I don’t think I will be able to help you directly. I’m really sorry.”

And now.

Heinrich was facing his third rejection during the third interview.

‘Because I knew from the beginning that everyone wouldn’t be willing to do it. Most of them were recommended for political reasons.’

Ise-ah, who had been speaking calmly, bowed politely and apologized.

The polite and sincere expression of apology had an atmosphere that could not help but soften one’s heart.

Moreover, doesn’t she have the appearance of a young and delicate girl?

Regardless of my actual age, I couldn’t help but feel weak when I met him in person.

Heinrich also nodded with a soft smile as if he understood her feelings.

Of course, as a master of life acting, his inner feelings were different.

‘With this face, you’re older than me? No matter how you look at it, it looks like this woman is from Earth.’

He analyzed her slowly while conversing to persuade her.

With an ageless face and oriental appearance, even the name is strangely Korean.

As I had just recently met Andrew, an awakened person on Earth, there were many things that made it difficult to just dismiss it as a coincidence.

‘So, when I shook hands with Harley, I checked once…’

Shaking hands with her was only a short moment, but it was enough time for Harley’s keen senses to understand the state of her body.

Of course, as the opponent was an archmage, he did not use energy separately, but it was not a big problem for him, who was already an authority on the bodies of living things.

From the subtle tremors of muscles to the movement of internal tissues, including the bioelectric heartbeat that flows through the body, and even changes in blood pressure, temperature, and respiration.

The human body itself contained a lot of information, and Harley, who had overcome its limitations through “mutation” and “physical mutation,” had the ability to analyze it.

The result that came out of that was—.

‘It’s ambiguous. Maybe because he’s a wizard, he doesn’t have any notable physical features like Andrew. If karma has increased your mental power or magic-related abilities, Harley has no way of knowing.’

There was insufficient evidence.

Initially, in order to survive in this harsh world, it would have been advantageous to slightly increase her physical abilities, but she was only at the level of a slightly healthy ordinary person.

Of course, at this level, if you use magic power and reinforcement magic, you will show physical ability greater than that of a decent warrior, but wouldn’t that have been the case even at the beginning of entering this world?

‘It is not clear whether the 5th princess’s side had any influence or not, nor is there any record of the past. In this world, unless you are a high-ranking person, personal information is not systematically managed like on Earth…’ It

was only about three years ago that she received the title of nobility.

The only previous record I could find was that about 8 years ago, ‘the young princess brought in and sponsored a talented commoner wizard.’

‘It is certainly remarkable that he has grown to the point of receiving an imperial nobility in just five years of support.’

He was truly a model of a self-made man.

And that made me even more suspicious.

Meanwhile, the conversation between the two continued.

“…As you probably know, my situation is not that good. “I guess not everyone will follow the cause.”

She honestly confessed her situation.

As the Main Church is a powerful force with great information power, they did not say anything, perhaps because they thought they already knew.

‘It’s because of the crown prince.’

When I heard her words, Prince Simon’s scruffy face suddenly came to mind.

Throughout the summit meeting, he was subtly political and irritating in his words and actions, as well as his evil deeds that were discovered through background investigation.

‘It’s a competition for the throne between the crown prince and the 5th princess. Also, the crown prince is in a much better situation…?’

Suddenly, bad… or rather righteous thoughts began to bloom in his mind.

Although it was still only in the planning stage, I decided to remember it and use it later.

“All right. The religious order never forces individual sacrifice. If you change your mind later, please feel free to contact me.”

“Yes, I’m really sorry. If I had the opportunity, I would definitely have been there. “As someone who pursues magic, I cannot tolerate warlocks who abuse it.”

The moment I broke down and listened to her formal words.

A thought flashed through his mind.

“ah! Viscount Pristine? Now that I think about it, there is one thing I would like to ask for advice on. “This is a problem that our church has not yet reached a conclusion on, so I would like to hear the archmage’s opinion.”

“I don’t mind if that’s the case. “I understand that the leader of the Magic Tower is here, so wouldn’t it be better to ask him for magical advice?”

“Hahaha, of course I already asked him to do it. “I want to hear the opinions of as many people as possible.”

Heinrich looked around and took out a pen and notebook from his robes.

Then, holding a notebook in one hand, he slowly drew something and opened his mouth to her in an indifferent tone.

“It is a matter of differing opinions among us, but no conclusion has been reached yet. “It is said that not only the theologians but also the wizards and sorcerers who were consulted cannot be certain.”

“I don’t think I can be of much help with that kind of problem, but…”

“It’s okay. “Just give your opinion.”

When he finally finished the work, he looked at Se-ah Lee again with a serious expression and spoke.

“Do you know about the mask worn by the immortal king Hannibal Strauss?”

“Yes, he said it was a smiling mask made of wood. The person who wants to destroy the world has a bad taste in smiling faces. “What could it be but the mindset of a madman who wants to ridicule everyone?”

“…Hmm, that’s right. And this is the rough design of the mask.”

Heinrich cleared his throat lightly and handed her a notebook.

“I’m not good at drawing, so there may be differences in the details, but the overall impression will be similar. “Just look at this and tell me whatever magical meaning comes to mind.”

“okay. In fact, masks are also a medium often used in rituals….”

And her body after receiving the notebook and looking at the picture.

It was as if time had stopped and I froze in place.

“…! Oh, this is…!”

A new voice leaks out of my mouth without my knowledge.

Lee Se-ah’s expression, which had always maintained a calm expression, violently fluctuated.

Although it wasn’t depicted in as much detail as it was lightly drawn on the spot, its features were clearly recognizable.

Crooked eyes, dark eyebrows, wrinkles, and a large bulbous nose.

It was a mask that no Korean could recognize.

“Why are you doing that? “Do you know anything?”

“Oh no…? it’s nothing. I think I was briefly mistaken. That… briefly in the village I lived in when I was young….”

“Hmm, so you’re saying there was a mask similar to this? Can you tell me where that village is? The Immortal King’s hometown might be in that area…”

“No, no! A local kid made this to kill time! Yes, it was a substitute for a toy. But then I quickly got tired of it and just destroyed it. It just brought back old memories and overreacted. Haha….”

She was completely unfazed throughout the interview, but I was so excited to see her flustered that I ended up tormenting her so much without realizing it, but—.

‘It just caught on.’

This made him confident.

‘As expected, this woman was also an awakened person of Earth.’

However, Heinrich did not show it on the outside and nodded as if he was regretful.

“It’s a shame. “I was hoping there would be some clue.”

“…Yeah, I don’t know if there’s any special meaning to this. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”

Her agitation quickly subsided.

Although she momentarily lost her composure after encountering unimaginable information at an unexpected moment, she was also an archmage who reached her peak.

It was an instant for me to regain my composure and regain my cool.

‘Well, after living in isolation from Earth civilization for more than eight years, it would be surprising if Hahoetal suddenly invaded.’

He didn’t just appear, he appeared as the mask of the Immortal King, an absolute evil and the embodiment of death who seeks to destroy this world.

It was a natural reaction for a Korean.

‘Yes, if you are Korean.’

Andrew, the first Earthling I encountered, was American.

But how could there be such a coincidence that the person I met for the second time was of the same nationality as myself?

‘In any case, information about Hans’ mask is bound to spread quickly. ‘It wasn’t just one or two people who saw it.’

It was a very satisfying result to have put that information to good use.

Because this allowed me to clearly decide how to use her.

***

This was a world without the Internet or communication networks, but as the natural ability developed instead of science, the speed at which news spread to each region was not slow.

Of course, normally, the upper class, such as merchant guilds and local officials who are sensitive to information, would control the time for rumors to spread to the public by appropriately controlling them for their own benefit… but

the news about the resurrection of the Immortal King that was announced this time is of a certain nature. This was different.

At first, the information was controlled for the sake of social stability, but at some point it became impossible to hide it any longer, and it was eventually made public on a large scale due to the rampage of the undead and the rampage of monster madness.

The vested interests also decided that in order to maintain the current system, it would be better to risk widespread fear in society and focus the residents’ complaints on the steadfast ‘enemy’.

As a result, the story about the Immortal King, the source of all evil in the world, began to spread rapidly among people.

“Did you hear the news? “It is said that the Principality of Rohan, in the north of the empire, eventually fell.”

“Huh—the country is going to be destroyed? No way…”

“Of course, that ‘Immortal King Hans’ did it. “He personally led the monsters in and destroyed them, and they say hundreds of thousands of people died!”

“…Oh, how can one live with anxiety in the world? Please, this place must be safe.”

The news was exaggerated and spread even faster with the fall of the Principality of Rohan.

“Jesse’s mom, did you hear that? Well, they say that the village dam collapsed last time was not due to poor construction, but was done secretly by Hans’ followers!”

“Oh my, are there people who would kill someone like that? How many people have been harmed because of that! …wait? From what I heard, the fact that last year’s crop was ruined seems a bit suspicious. Doesn’t that mean they sprinkled poison on the field?!”

“Oh my! oh my god! Is that really true?”

There were even people who blamed all unfortunate events on him.

“Ugh~ Can’t I change my name? The kids are just calling me Hans….”

“Hmm, no matter what, I can’t change my name…”

“Yes! That would be a good idea. You too, stop being stubborn! What’s that common name? “I’m going to catch you like this!”

“…I can’t help it. “Well then, how about Heinz as a new name?”

It did not discriminate between men and women of all ages, and even conservative parents rushed to change their children’s names.

His notoriety was inflated beyond imagination and was engraved in people’s minds.

Beyond large cities, small and medium-sized cities and small villages, as well as slash-and-burn villages in the mountains.

Even in the Enamel Continent, the name began to spread, although there was only a difference in degree.

And eventually.

《Achievement achieved! You have become the ‘enemy of the world’, receiving everyone’s resentment and hatred.》

《More than half of the living intelligences in the Outerica dimension have judged you to be the enemy. As a reward, the perk “Extra Life” is granted.》

《You have achieved an achievement and made a great impact on the world. Your karma will increase further.》

Hans’ influence, which has been gradually covering the continent since the official announcement, has finally reached a critical point. I passed it.