Hero Route 2

The five heroes emerged from the ancient castle as dusk approached.

Their mana consumption was actually lower than expected. Firstly, because everyone had leveled up, and secondly, because the enemy had given them ample opportunities to rest.

Of course, they were still hungry.

Below the castle, the worried believers had already prepared a feast.

And they had also prepared for a retreat.

If the five heroes didn't return before nightfall, there was a possibility of a "night of ghosts"!

It wasn't that they lacked faith in the heroes, but they didn't know how many monsters were lurking in the city.

Most of them were ordinary people, at most, slightly stronger ordinary people, and they had no means of fighting back against these monsters.

Remember, Karen, who was once an ordinary person, had suffered irreversible blindness after just glancing at a Class 3 monster.

Who knows what kind of injuries they would suffer if they encountered such monsters?

But, just as they felt the heroes would need more time to fight and were considering whether to retreat…

"Everyone! The heroes have returned!!"

A scout riding a fast horse returned to report.

The crowd rejoiced!

...

On the other side, the Goblin counterattack occurred in the morning, shortly after Anyi's group entered the castle.

After several days of hunting, the Goblins in the forest had suffered devastating blows. The Goblins, who were once everywhere, were now difficult to find even with a lantern.

Moreover, they seemed to have realized how "terrifying" humans were and began to consciously avoid any humans entering the forest.

Originally, they were the hunters, and humans were the prey.

Now, humans would chase them down and kill them as soon as they entered the forest, even Hobgoblins were no match for these humans.

With the Goblin Shamans dead, they were completely helpless against these humans and could only run away…

That was fine initially.

But this morning, heroes hunting Goblins discovered that the Goblins had suddenly become "bold".

The Goblins, who had previously avoided the heroes, suddenly started attacking!

As if they felt they could win again!

At first, the heroes didn't find this strange. After all, from the beginning, Goblins were monsters that would actively attack humans.

Now that they were actively attacking, perhaps they were already so desperate that they didn't care anymore?

Until…

There were reports of hero deaths.

A high-Agility hero who ran back from the forest covered in injuries.

He said that his team was ambushed by hundreds of Hobgoblins, and there were Goblin Shamans among them.

He rushed into the League of Heroes and shouted to everyone, and the information spread instantly.

This shocking news caused a stir among the heroes and the Theocracy's believers. The believers held an emergency meeting with some of the heroes.

The believers believed that they had to prepare for the worst-case scenario—the Goblins were preparing to counterattack!

There were definitely more than just Goblin Shamans in the forest. There could be Goblin Centurions, or even stronger monsters!

Once they retook the forest, their next step might be to attack the towns!

"Should we ask Holy Maiden-sama for help?"

"No! Holy Maiden-sama and those three heroes are too far away! Distant water cannot quench a nearby fire!"

"Are there any heroes nearby who have experience dealing with Goblin Centurions?!"

The believers listed all the nearby heroes.

"Only Rod Hero-sama and Steel Hero-sama have experience dealing with Goblin Centurions!

But without support… it'll be difficult for them to deal with Goblin Centurions."

These two heroes had previously fought Goblin Centurions as part of a team, and no one could guarantee that there was only one Goblin Centurion in the forest.

"Thinking positively, what if there aren't any Goblin Centurions among the enemies?

If it's just Goblin Shamans, most heroes can deal with them, right?"

"Don't be naive! What if the enemy sends three or more Goblin Centurions? Wouldn't that be sentencing lower-level heroes to death?!"

There were those who were optimistic, and those who were pessimistic.

"Wait…!"

Suddenly, a believer remembered someone.

"Exterminate Hero… Exterminate Hero-sama is still in town!"

Hearing this title, the believers' expressions turned serious.

That was the strongest hero of this era!

Inviting the Exterminate Hero was a good option, but it was also an option they didn't want to choose.

Because…

Exterminate Hero was… sick!

"Then… let's first invite Rod Hero-sama and Steel Hero-sama!

And then…

Let's invite Exterminate Hero-sama!

We must prepare for the worst! Prepare early!"

"Okay! Let's invite Exterminate Hero-sama!"

...

Harlem, the town's renowned physician, met a strange patient today.

Judging from the patient's attire, they were a hero from the League of Heroes.

Their striking red hair was quite noticeable, their skin was fair, and their beautiful face was cold, giving off an unapproachable aura.

"Hero-sama, I'm physician Harlem, is there anything I can do for you?"

Facing a hero who had saved the town and eliminated Goblins, Harlem's attitude was courteous and respectful.

"Doctor, I think I'm sick." Elza sat in front of him, her expression serious.

"Ah… yes, do you have any symptoms?" Harlem chuckled nervously.

"Symptoms…?"

Seeing that the physician was male, Elza found it difficult to mention that she hadn't been to the toilet for a long time.

So…

"My hair turned red.

And my skin became very pale.

Am I… okay?"

She wanted to ask, "Am I going to die?"

But she felt it was inappropriate to ask that, so she didn't.

"This…" Harlem frowned, "Hero-sama, your red hair isn't natural?"

"No, it only turned like this recently." Elza shook her head.

"Tsk tsk tsk…" Harlem shook his head, "Hero-sama, to be honest, I've never seen this kind of illness before."

Elza was immediately puzzled: "Never seen it before? Aren't you the best physician in town?

I'll find a way to pay you, please help me."

"This, it's not about money." Harlem chuckled wryly, thinking that he seemed to be perceived as a physician who would swindle money.

Although he had indeed been greedy before, he wouldn't dare to be greedy in front of these heroes who received support from Aldrich.

It would be too easy for Theocracy to get rid of a small physician like him.

"Hero-sama, I've been a physician for over 20 years, and I've truly never encountered a similar case." Harlem said helplessly.

"Is there no medicine that can be used?" Elza held onto a sliver of hope.

Harlem shook his head: "If it's an injury, or physical discomfort, then medicine can be used.

But this hair problem… I have no medicine."

Elza's shoulders trembled, her mind buzzing.

No…

No cure?!

Could it be that she has some incurable disease?!

"Ahem, Hero-sama, instead of troubling a small physician like me, it might be better to seek help from Aldrich's disciples, and have them find you a better doctor.

As long as they are willing, they should be able to find the best physician in the world to treat you." Harlem suggested.

Elza lowered her head, silent for a long time, then finally nodded.

"Okay, I understand."

Having said that, she stood up and dejectedly walked out of the clinic.

No cure… no cure!

These two words echoed in her mind.

The inexplicable loss of appetite, the disappearance of the urge to urinate and defecate, her hair turning red, and her skin turning pale…

Was she dying?!

She still hadn't repaid her debts of gratitude, and she hadn't worked for many days. How would she repay everything?!

Walking down the street, Elza lowered her head, sadly covering her forehead.

Would her life end like this?

To be honest, she didn't want to trouble Aldrich's disciples.

Because she felt she already owed them a great debt.

Those white-robed believers were good people. Not only were they kind to her, they provided her with clothes and accommodation, and even assigned someone to serve her.

She was a little overwhelmed by their kindness, so she asked the believer who was serving her to leave. The believer directly ran out of the room crying.

Scared.

She wondered if the believer was just sad because she couldn't serve her.

They were such good people!

Therefore, Elza felt she shouldn't bother them any further!

The best physician in the world… sounds expensive…

She didn't know if killing another ten thousand slimes would be enough to pay for a doctor's visit!

"Exterminate Hero-sama! We've finally found you!"

A believer rushed over from afar.

In order to find Elza, countless believers had searched tirelessly, street by street.

The believer, breathless, ran to Elza: "Exterminate Hero-sama! Bad news!"

"Ah?"

Elza, her face grim, looked up from under her crimson hair.

"Y—!"

The believer knelt down in fright, her teeth chattering as she quickly said;

"Exterminate Hero-sama! Please save us…

The Goblins… are about to invade the town!

Please, Exterminate Hero-sama, help us overcome this calamity!!"

"Goblins…"

The image of those green-skinned monsters appeared in Elza's mind.

"Where? Take me there."

Although her main job wasn't to eliminate Goblins, Goblins and slimes were still monsters.

If they were monsters, then they had to be eliminated.

Otherwise, they would cause trouble for others.

Wasn't her job to eliminate monsters and prevent them from harming others?

Suddenly, Elza thought of something.

"Work…"

Just as she was about to ask about her payment, she suddenly stopped.

Since they were waiting for her, should she even mention work after helping them eliminate monsters?

That would be so heartless!

"Nevermind, nothing." She said, lowering her head and continuing to walk forward dejectedly.

The believer: "Work…?!"

Exterminate Hero-sama, is she planning to counterattack the Goblins?!

If it's her, she could easily kill a Goblin Centurion!

After all, it's been a while since she last fought a Goblin Centurion.

Exterminate Hero-sama's strength must have increased!

...

Elsewhere in town, Steel Hero Cotan was giving a lecture, recounting his battle against the Goblin Centurion with the Exterminate Hero.

He hadn't received any news about the Exterminate Hero's arrival in town. He had been busy giving lectures to various groups since he last met with other heroes.

After about half an hour, the believers found him.

"Steel Hero-sama! Please help us!" The believer said respectfully.

"What is it?" Cotan had just finished his lecture and was taking a sip of water.

"The Goblins… are counterattacking!

Worst-case scenario, there might be Goblin Centurions among them! You have experience dealing with Goblin Centurions, please help us repel the monsters!"

"Pfft——!" Cotan sprayed water onto the believer's face.

Ah?!

Goblin Centurions?!

Again?!

When he encountered that monster, he was just getting beaten the whole time!

The Exterminate Hero had killed those two Goblin Centurions, he didn't even get any experience from that fight!

He only found out after asking the system. Because he had never inflicted more than 1% damage, he wasn't considered to have participated in the battle.

He had only endured a brutal beating!

"Ahem, sorry." Cotan took a handkerchief from his formal attire and handed it to the believer.

The believer thanked him and accepted it, wiping her face.

Cotan continued: "To deal with a Goblin Centurion, my strength is insufficient.

Back then, I could only cooperate with the Exterminate Hero to kill those two Goblin Centurions.

And in my team, three teammates weren't enough to defeat a Goblin Centurion.

So, you should find Her Highness the Holy Maiden's team. They have the ability to defeat Goblin Centurions."

"But… Holy Maiden-sama and the other three heroes are far away in Matt Kingdom.

But the Goblins are attacking, and they're approaching." The believer said sadly.

He knew that Steel Hero was famous for his defense, and it would be difficult for him to defeat a Goblin Centurion.

"If there isn't a strong hero, my help would be meaningless, wouldn't it?" Cotan took another sip of water, trying to ease the tension.

"There is! The Exterminate Hero, who fought alongside you in the forest, is in town!

We've already invited her!" The believer said excitedly.

"Pfft——!"

Cotan sprayed water onto the believer's face again.

"Ah?! What did you say? Who?!"

The believer wiped her face: "Exterminate Hero-sama! She's in town!"

If Cotan could sweat, he would definitely be sweating profusely right now.

Exterminate Hero…! Why would that mysterious woman appear in town?!

She was notoriously reclusive, only leaving behind her name, her attire like someone who had withdrawn from society.

Cotan thought she lived in seclusion in the forest! She wouldn't come to human cities!

If the Exterminate Hero met him, wouldn't his entire history of being beaten be revealed?!

What fighting alongside each other?

He was only getting beaten, and then the Exterminate Hero would come and solve the problem!

"Are you sure it's her?" Cotan confirmed.

"Yes! Just like you said, Exterminate Hero-sama is quiet, with long red hair.

And when she arrived, her clothes were very simple, stripped from Goblins!" The believer said excitedly.

Cotan raised his eyebrows.

No…!

He couldn't meet her!