Hero Dies in Betrayal

"—Because I was the one who witnessed the covenant made by the people of the Beheading Valley."

Merlin once said this to Iver.

Iver had been wondering why the Beheading Valley was connected to Merlin... Now Iver understood.

Judging from Merlin's current immature appearance, he probably hasn't become "Great Sage Merlin" yet.

Therefore, witnessing the contract should be something that happened later... or at least it should be a commemoration after the end of the Giant Kingdom.

"Yes, Your Excellency Sir Hellerchein."

Gawain bowed politely and respectfully to Iver: "We are Rebel Knights who follow King Arthur to punish that licentious and tyrannical Giant King."

"Although we are all human, we also have the determination to defeat the giants. King Arthur traveled throughout the entire Herasul Empire to recruit us into his ranks."

"We swear—if we can truly destroy the Giant Kingdom of Arctos, we will build a new nation on this Isle of Avalon. Then Arthur will be our New King ... the New King of mankind!"

Although Gawain said this, he was clearly still somewhat worried.

After all, Hellerchein was an elf. He didn't know if his explanation would be accepted by him.

Iver simply nodded slightly.

"Well done."

He earnestly praised you, saying, "You dared to stand up and fight the giants, which shows that you have extraordinary courage."

Iver clearly heard that after he confirmed their war motives, one of the young knights couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and even his posture relaxed a little.

So, with a mischievous streak, Iver decided to put some pressure on the young knights.

"—Oh, right."

Iver suddenly spoke up, "You all say I've become a hero..."

"—Did I ultimately fail?"

His words immediately silenced the camp.

The two knights, a man and a woman, who had been whispering in a corner, spoke in very low voices. But after the camp suddenly fell silent, their conversation became remarkably clear. They quickly realized their situation, were startled, and immediately shut up.

I'm terrified of being called on by Iver to answer a question.

Iver looked closer and felt that it looked very familiar—

—Aren't these Lancelot and Guinevere?

As Iver scanned the room, almost no one dared to meet his gaze.

This attitude...? Iver frowned slightly and said, "Mr. Merlin."

"Yes!"

Merlin snapped to attention and responded loudly as if on cue.

Iver clearly heard a knight suddenly breathe a sigh of relief.

"Please enlighten me."

Iver politely asked, "When exactly did my life end?"

"This..."

Merlin hesitated for a moment.

Iver pressed Merlin softly, putting pressure on him. "Was my death not glorious enough?"

"That's not true!"

Merlin said immediately.

He pursed his lips and said softly, "You were ultimately defeated."

"You were ultimately defeated by the giant patriarch... Wildfire Utgarda-Loki."

"... Wildfire Giant?"

"Iver murmured."

So, in the normal timeline, Hellerchein was defeated by the Wildfire Giant? That makes sense... In the normal timeline, Hellerchein probably couldn't save Oligan. And he didn't have a powerful enough weapon to give Oligan. Without this most powerful ally, Hellerchein might not have been able to defeat Utgarda-Loki.

... but it doesn't seem quite right either.

Judging from the knights' reactions, they seemed hesitant to tell Iver about it. If it was just a defeat, what was there to be afraid of mentioning?

Then Iver said seriously, "I don't think I can't handle him—he doesn't have any Wounding Branch."

"That's true..."

Merlin looked somewhat embarrassed, but still said in a low voice, "Because you were ultimately... betrayed."

"... Betrayal?"

"—Yes, betrayal."

Arthur was the one who answered.

When Arthur approached, Merlin quickly put on his hat and darted back into the crowd. Mordred tugged at his sleeve, letting Merlin hide behind him. A female knight whom Iver didn't recognize came over, muttering curses at Mordred as she reached out to touch Merlin's cheek, treating him.

Arthur then spoke in a deep voice, "Sir Hellerchein's war began relatively smoothly. Although several followers perished, overall progress has been made. Even the powerful former Protector of the Nation, ' Wildfire Utgarda-Loki,' was briefly repelled by you..."

"But while you were staying in a human village, the humans betrayed you—revealing your location and poisoning you. Your food was laced with poison provided by Utgarda-Loki."

"Despite being the stronger party, the giants are unwilling to fight you head-on—because you are too few in number and too weak. The arrogant giants cannot unite under such pressure. Just as now that we have arrived here, the Giant Kingdom is unwilling to send people to besiege us."

"Utgarda-Loki used underhanded tactics. But in the end, it was those humans you were protecting who betrayed you."

Arthur calmly and impartially stated, "When the 'Wildfire' struck again, you were powerless to fight back. Therefore, you were captured alive by Utgarda-Loki."

"The bodies of those who died in battle were also collected. After you were judged and tortured by the giants, you were all convicted and beheaded. All your bodies were put into the same large cauldron to be cooked— the Supreme Heaven even made a new cauldron for you himself."

"The giants devoured your corpses. At the same time, they gave a bowl of soup to everyone in every human settlement in Avalon —the soup of heroes who had hoped to save them but were betrayed by them. This was to tell them that you too had unforgivable sins, and that no one would come to save you from now on."

"Because the bodies were not buried, the execution site was left with the mournful cries of wronged souls that have lingered for centuries. They have transformed into man-eating evil spirits. To this day, they have not dispersed; and they probably will not in the future."

Arthur looked at Iver and said, "Those were all your... former subordinates."

Upon hearing this, Iver finally fell silent.

A hero... died because of betrayal.

At this time.

Merlin suddenly spoke up, "It will end."

Iver looked over upon hearing this.

Merlin met Iver's gaze without hesitation.

His gaze was resolute. "When it's all over, when the giants are defeated, when we achieve final victory—I will pray to Twilight to bury them; or to Weizhe to elevate them into the Wild Hunt."

"I've heard that the people of the Beheading Valley collected the bones of heroes. Although most of the corpses were eaten by the giants, a few remnants were protected and collected by them at the cost of their lives. These things, as a medium, are enough for them to rest in peace."

"Besides..."

Merlin stepped forward and grasped Iver's hand. "I implore you to approve my plan! It will also help us defeat that powerful enemy!"

"--plan?"

Iver asked with interest, "What plan?"

"I wish to perform a wild hunt ritual for you."

Merlin paused slightly, but continued, "' Heroic Spirit Summoning ' only summons fragments frozen in time. They are neither souls nor bodies. Sir Hellerchein's body is indeed nowhere to be found, and we are powerless to appease his Raging Souls ... but if you were there as the medium..."

"Okay, that works."

Iver readily agreed.

He was somewhat moved, and gradually came to understand...

So that's what happened back then.

Beheading Valley, Eagle Cape Village, Wild Hunt King...

... Lord of Scales and Feathers, do you wish for me to witness this scene again?

Because I wish to enter into a sin pact with Sir Hellerchein, do you think I need to know the full story before making a decision?

"As for the enemy..."

Merlin said solemnly, "We have angered the giants, and they have summoned the apostles to punish us. Presumably, this is why our king has summoned you to this place."

"We are about to confront the apostle of the Supreme Heaven —'Tyrant' Caligula!"

... That "tyrant" who was besieged and killed by the Round Table Knights every time he was resurrected? "Truly... a rare enemy."

Iver's lips curled up slightly, revealing a hint of fighting spirit.

Fighting the Apostles was already quite stressful for Iver. He hadn't forgotten how much pressure "The City Breaker" Enyo had put on him.

But this time is different! Let's set aside Merlin's ceremony for now...

—The guy behind me named Arthur, this guy is currently possessed by the Pillar God! This is like a duo queue with the Boosting Service!