CHAPTER 231: CHAPTER 231 - ONE LESS HERO

PoV: Nakata

The heroes have been fighting without pause for longer than a week, going back and forth on the battlefront, stopping the advance of the dragonkin armies.

Thanks to their Hero title, their level has shot up skywards. Though their base stats aren’t as big as Lovelace’s, they are higher than the average human’s by a big margin.

Which means that the growth speed of their strength is bigger than the growth speed of the dragonkin.

While the human army is faltering, where Nakata and Jonas arrive, they bring havoc among the enemy lines, scattering them and retaking a bit of the lost territory.

Yet, they are only two, and the lines are too long. They can’t hold it all alone.

"What is the other hero doing? Shouldn’t she be here?"

Jonas asked during one of their meetings, in a rare moment of respite.

They are in a tent, in a camp of the human army, near the border of Castro and Calem.

The unified armies of Mankind have been ignoring the national borders in their fight. Even Histria, Essendia, and the small Eastern countries have sent armies to help.

Yet, there’s no news of Renata coming to this side.

"I don’t know what’s going on with that girl. Haven’t the Church commanded her to come?"

Nakata asked the question, looking directly at the High Bishop that was with them in the tent. But the priest could only shake his head.

"We did, but we haven’t received any reply from Histria’s High Bishop. I have no idea of what is going on on their side."

"What is she even doing over there? Hasn’t the conflict with Wesgoth been solved already? I hear that there are negotiations for a peace treaty."

"Lady Nakata, I understand your anxiety. And also yours, Lord Jonas. It’s fully understandable. But I have no power to meddle with the inner decisions of another branch of the Church. Only the Pontifex would have."

"And why hasn’t he called for her, then? The two of us, alone, can’t deal with all that. It’s too much."

Nakata paced in the center of the tent, irritated. Jonas, though still seated, shared her irritation.

They felt that the higher-ups had abandoned them on the frontlines. Even though they received the System and the blessings, as well as several holy weapons, it wasn’t enough.

At this point, not even Urraca was able to keep up with their pace. When she noticed that she was becoming more of a hindrance, she decided to focus on the strategy and logistics.

Their only hope for someone to help them was Renata, the third hero. It would increase their fighting capabilities by 50%, they thought.

"Nakata, please, calm down. We need to think about it clearly before taking action. Let’s forget about her and focus on what we can do that doesn’t rely on any external forces."

Urraca was again being the rational one, calling for restraint. It had the effect of at least making Nakata sit down again.

"I know... It’s just, we were three heroes supposed to save this world. As things stand right now, I am afraid that we will suffer a decisive loss."

Right after she said that, something snapped inside her. A surge of energy rushed through her body.

"Huh? What’s happening?"

"What? Nakata? Jonas? Is something wrong?"

Hearing Urraca’s question, Nakata looked at Jonas, who was also showing a look of surprise on his face.

"Can you feel it as well, Jonas?"

"Yes... it’s an incredible power... I feel like I could destroy an army with just a wave of my hands."

Suddenly, a voice came in their heads, one they were very familiar with.

[Requisites cleared. You have now received the TITLE Champion.]

"Is this... a new title?"

The two of them quickly opened their stat screens and looked at them.

"Jonas... my base stats... they increased by a thousandfold."

"Mine too. But that’s not all... the skills as well."

Nakata decided to directly read the description of the title instead of looking individually for the changes.

----------

TITLE: Champion

You are one of the chosen Champions of the goddess Juno. The full strength of the Adventuring System will be switched to you and all the other Champions. All your base stats will be increased. You have access to all skills that were held by the people whose System energy was transferred to you. The availability of the skills, their level increase, and the base stats increase all depend on the quantity of energy transferred.

----------

Nakata could only stand there, speechless.

After she read the description for the fourth time, Jonas broke the silence.

"What do they mean by ’people whose System energy was transferred to you’? Did someone lose their access to the Adventuring System to give us this power boost?"

"It seems so... Whoa, so many of my skills are maxed out now. And the levels as well."

"What? What are you two talking about? Can you explain it to me?"

Everyone else in the room was looking at the two expectantly, but it was Urraca who dared to ask the question in everyone’s minds.

"Er... we both just received a title, called ’Champion.’ It says that the full strength of the Adventuring System was diverted to empower us. Ahn... could you check your stats screen? I hope you didn’t lose anything with this transfer."

All the presents hurried to check their own stats, and then they all released sighs of relief.

"Yeah, I don’t see any changes on my side. All is as before. Maybe it didn’t affect everyone else, but just some part of the population."

Nakata pondered the words of Urraca and then rose up again from her chair.

"We need to check the army. Take out of the front all soldiers who have lost their System access. Leave only the ones that still have fighting capability."

"You’re right, Nakata. We are near the middle of the frontlines. You go north from here, and I’ll go south. With our new abilities we’ll be able to run really fast and reach every battalion."

Nakata just nodded and went outside, followed by Jonas, and then they quickly departed.

Urraca followed suit, but she was still too slow. When she reached the outside of the tent, the two heroes were already far away. She stood there for a minute, awed at their speed, before running to the command of this unit.

:::

PoV: Livia

A few minutes ago, in a temple room far away.

Livia is bent on one knee, with her head lowered.

"The Hero of the East will no longer hinder your plans, Master."

Juno was looking very pleased, sitting on a Roman couch. She had been pampered by Flavia and Claudia the whole day. She had even reduced the activities of her other bodies so she could focus more on her more pleasurable activities.

And this last piece of news came to improve her mood even further.

"Very well, Livia. You did very well. Come, you deserve some reward from your master. I will treat you well today."

"Of course, Master. Thank you so much for your benevolence."

She spoke without raising her head. For just an instant, a mischievous smile crossed her face, but she quickly composed herself, and only then did she rise and look at her goddess.

Her smile now was the one of a well-behaved child who had just scored top of the class in school. She walked to the couch and gave herself to the festivities.

:::

PoV: ???

In the southeast of Wesgoth, in a little town that was right on the border with the small kingdom of Heluveity, an officer was at a loss about what to do.

There was a person seeking refugee status in the kingdom. It was a young woman who didn’t state her name or origins, saying that it was a confidential matter.

The woman doesn’t look like a runaway slave and is very obviously human. If it were the times before the war, the officer wouldn’t have a second thought and would just dismiss the woman on the spot.

But now things were different. The policy of the country changed, and the officer herself also changed and converted to the Saint’s religion. As a follower of the goddess of compassion, she couldn’t simply tell the woman to fuck off.

Yet, what if the woman was a spy? How could she simply let in a person who wouldn’t even identify herself?

"Did you call for me?"

A young man, barely over eighteen, opened the door of her office.

"Yes. Please, deliver this letter to the Count. There is a situation, and I’ll need his guidance on the matter. I’ll wait for the answer before doing anything."

"Of course."

The man took the letter, bowed, and went on his way. He was one of the spatial mages trained in the hidden army of the princess Aurea, and he was very dependable.

Right after he left, the officer could finally sigh and relax her body. The hot potato was passed on to the hands of her superior.