Vol 1 Chapter 30 – The Threat of the Artificial Heroes【Vol 1: The Beastkin Hero Arc】

Moonlit snowflakes drifted down, each crystal carrying a mystical shimmer as they settled over the world below.

Just beneath the dense clouds, Raizel beat his wings powerfully, pushing northward. The royal capital was still nowhere in sight, and neither was any sign of the Artificial Heroes.

Along the way, they passed over a city reduced to scorched earth, and Leonhardt’s fists clenched hard. The weight of self-reproach — for not arriving in time — was palpable as Allen gazed at her blood-soaked back, genuinely wanting to comfort her.

No matter how strong a World Knight became, there was only one of them — and Allen himself had failed to arrive in time more than once, especially at the place where he’d first met Leonhardt. The tragedy that had unfolded in Dawnbelt — a city within the Imperial Kingdom — was something he could never forget. How many people had Allen failed to save in that city?

Leonhardt, on the other hand, had saved five cities. He genuinely thought she was incredible.

Allen spoke to that trembling back.

“…The beastkin seem to hold you in tremendous regard. That must weigh on you.”

He half-expected to be ignored — but she answered, surprisingly enough.

“…Yeah. They’re idiots.”

“Idiots? Why? Is it so strange to admire a hero who represents your people?”

“…The Beast Kingdom is being attacked because of me. The people who died — they died because of me.”

“…”

“But the people of the Beast Kingdom — they never wavered. The Beast King didn’t blame me, either.”

Because they understood it wasn’t Leonhardt’s fault, and none of this would have happened if the Imperial Kingdom hadn’t allied itself with the Demon King in the first place.

Even so —

“Do you regret killing the Emperor?”

“…No. I don’t. Besides — I couldn’t even finish the job.”

“…Huh?”

“Forget it. The point is, I couldn’t forgive that demonic old bastard, no matter what. I lost my master in the Great Human-Demon War… and you — you’ve lost someone important too, haven’t you? That’s why you’re against the Empire.”

Faced with the question, Allen gave a simple nod for the time being.

Allen’s own master — the World Knight of humanity two generations back — had been killed by the Evil Eye King, Gaivis. That said, he had long since made peace with it. He wasn’t particularly grief-stricken, but he played the part.

“…I lost my master, too.”

“…I see.”

“By the way — your master, was that the Obsidian Knight?”

“Yeah. Cool, dependable — whenever he showed up, everything just felt okay again. Calm no matter what, sharp-minded too. The most powerful and noble knight of them all — a true knight among knights. I loved him.”

“…”

Allen had asked out of idle curiosity to hear how his own disciple saw him — but the description was so wildly inflated, it was like she was talking about an entirely different person. The “always calm” part was an act, and the “sharp-minded” praise? That was just him pretending to know more than he did.

“Because the Empire powered up the Demon King, he had no choice but to use the Thunder-Annihilation Blade — a power that eats away at your own lifespan!”

Sorry. The real cost of that power is… libido.

“The Emperor said it himself — that if it came down to it, Allen would use the Angel’s Staff to get the other World Knights out. That’s why he handed it over!”

The Angel’s Staff — which could teleport multiple people to safety — had been absolutely essential for Allen to end up alone inside the Evil Eye Castle. If it hadn’t been handed over willingly… he probably would have just pocketed it and never given it back.

“And above all else — that bastard king went and released from Gehenna the one piece of garbage who can create Artificial Heroes… someone who can forge Brave Cores…!”

Behind his mask, Allen’s eyes went wide.

“…The mastermind behind the Dawnbelt massacre?”

“That’s right…! He was the one who caught that bastard and threw him in prison…!”

Allen understood Leonhardt’s rage. He could feel just how deeply — how personally — she despised the Artificial Heroes.

“…Enough talk. We’re almost there.”

Rising from the snowy landscape, the royal capital was marked by a colossal tree adorned with deep blue leaves. A grand castle had been built atop the tree’s trunk — the home of the lion-kin, the ruling clan among beastkin. The enormous roots of that great tree spread outward in a wide circle, forming a natural wall around the city sheltered within.

“…That’s…!”

The capital itself appeared unharmed — but from a nearby village, one that merchants and travelers used as a waystation, flames were rising. And not ordinary flames — blue flames.

Inside the village, multiple ominous magical beasts could be spotted prowling through the streets.

“Raizel!”

“Krrrrrrr!”

As if to say Understood!, Raizel let out a fierce cry and sharply dropped speed, beginning his descent. Midway through the dive, Allen thought he glimpsed something enormous shifting near the thick clouds above — but no matter how hard he strained his eyes, he couldn’t make out what it was.

＊　　　＊　　　＊

Calamity descended without warning upon the village where dog-kin and cat-kin made their home. It came in the form of three humans.

A rail-thin, emaciated young man. A hulking giant built like solid stone. And a girl with eyes that looked perpetually half-asleep.

All three had snow-white hair and shackles on their wrists and ankles. They had stopped at the village on their way to the royal capital — as casually as one might drop by a roadside stall.

By the time the villagers realized what was happening, it was already too late. The emaciated young man had summoned magical beasts — dozens of three-headed giant dogs, Cerberi — surrounding the entire village. The village watch led the charge, every beastkin capable of fighting rushing out at once — but none of them could make a dent. They tried at least to get the children out — but any child who turned to run was slashed by claws and driven back inside.

“——Is that everyone? Is that everyone?”

Having herded every last villager into the square, the rail-thin young man declared as much with bright, feverish eyes.

“The Empire told us to keep killing the residents until Leonhardt shows up. But once someone’s dead, they can’t feel pain or suffering anymore. I think death is a kind of salvation, actually.”

“…What’s your point?! If you’re going to kill us, just do it already!”

A hot-blooded dog-kin man shouted from the crowd. Beneath his leather armor, his right arm ended at the elbow — gone. The other beastkin held their fierce expressions without flinching — smothering their fear, burning with pure hostility.

“No, no. I won’t kill you. I couldn’t bring myself to massacre people just to lure Leonhardt here.”

“…You’ve already done something equal to a massacre. What are you talking about?!”

The village homes had been burned to the ground by the blue flames breathed by the Cerberi — total devastation. The tavern and inn were no exception. A village that had flourished as a waystation lost its entire function in a single night.

“To draw her here, I need her to hear your voices. So — I’m going to torture you now. Please cry out as loudly as you can and let Leonhardt hear you.”

Wearing a smile that seemed to split his face apart, the young man stepped forward and tore off the beast-ears of a nearby cat-kin man.

“Ngh——…!?”

“Hm? Why aren’t you crying out?”

Against the white snow, the red of blood stood out all the more. He dropped the bloodied cat-ear and drove a short blade clean through the back of the man’s hand as he trembled on the ground. But the man swallowed his scream again.

“…Hm? Hmm?”

“…W-We have our pride. We will not burden Lady Leonhardt…”

“There is no one here who will grovel and wail. The beastkin are a hunting people. We wage war year-round against the wild beasts of the snow mountains. We are warriors by birth!”

“…Artificial Hero? You’re nothing but a demon! A real hero would never — never — do something like this!”

“Ha ha ha! You’re awfully fond of Leonhardt, but she was just a brat who hated the world even more than I do. She’s no hero.”

He spoke as though he knew her personally.

“Nul. That’s enough of your hobby.”

At that, one of the Artificial Heroes — the girl with the perpetually sleepy eyes — pointed to a single spot in the sky.

“…Oh, faster than expected. Already here, are they?”

A single griffin soaring through the vast sky.

At the sight of it, the villagers erupted in cheers. At the sight of the fully armored knight riding that royal beast, the young man called Nul broke into a wide grin. His eyes narrowed — with something that looked unmistakably like nostalgia.