The Second Salvation Myth of a Retired Regressed Hero

+++

Like Eloah, Sophie teared up the moment she saw Doyun, seeming quite bothered by having crossed over alone, leaving him behind.

After consoling Sophie, the items sent from the Lockenmeyer royal court arrived at the house.

“It’s addressed to ‘Lockenmeyer’s anonymous benefactor’?”

An ornately carved wooden case exuded an antique charm – the dual-wield spears mentioned by the lord, stored in the Lockenmeyer royal armory.

“I didn’t expect they’d open the royal armory for just a minor skirmish.”

“It means that city is tremendously important to Lockenmeyer. And the opponent was Satan’s imps, after all, even if their numbers were few.”

Still, the reward seemed slightly excessive, reflecting the city lord’s influence and Lockenmeyer’s desire to establish good relations with the World Tree.

This incident had greatly elevated the World Tree’s prestige.

Since only Doyun’s affiliation was revealed rather than his name as the city’s defender, that spotlight had been fully directed towards the World Tree instead.

This had been Doyun’s intention, and Eloah was deeply moved by the Hero’s considerate gesture.

‘It’s still too early for my name to spread.’

At minimum, he needed to reach a level capable of overcoming the weakened Minister of Finance protected by the Holy Stone.

If Doyun’s fame rapidly propagated, his identity as the Boss Monster Killer would soon surface as well. The Demon Lord’s forces would undoubtedly react accordingly.

Of course, concealing it indefinitely was impossible. Though Skeletonia strived to suppress this information, the Cradle’s disciples had already graduated and dispersed. The Boss Monster Killer’s existence becoming known was only a matter of time.

‘I must grow stronger as swiftly as possible before then.’

But Doyun felt a lingering sense of helplessness. No matter how quickly he grew, if a Demon Commander dispatched themselves, it would all be futile.

‘I should have killed him then…’

The continent’s peerless assassin and a Demon Commander – the Minister of Finance. His might had been such that even Enoch at his peak couldn’t slay him one-on-one, letting him slip away.

‘I only clashed with him that once, but…’

There was no doubt. He was undoubtedly the strongest among the Demon Commanders, second only to the Demon Lord himself within their ranks.

In fact, no matter how swiftly Doyun grew, it would be absolutely impossible for him to become strong enough within the Holy Stone’s barrier to contend with the Minister before his identity as the Boss Monster Killer was exposed.

‘…I need a countermeasure.’

For when the Minister inevitably targeted Doyun in the future. He needed some way to survive that encounter.

And soon, within a short timeframe.

“Hero?”

Doyun, setting aside his thoughts, turned to look at Eloah.

“Um… are you unwell? You didn’t respond when I called…”

“No. I just had something to ponder. Pay it no mind.”

Hearing his reply, Eloah nodded – the Hero had often lapsed into solitary contemplation in the past as well.

“Open it quickly!”

“Alright, alright.”

Doyun smiled at Eloah’s greater eagerness before opening the ornate case.

Inside lay two emerald-green dual-wield spears, shimmering brilliantly.

“Hm? Two of them?”

“Oh…! Could these be… the Wind Sisters Spears!”

Doyun checked the item details through [Seventh Sense].

[Hurricane Spear Anemos, Tornado Spear Aer]
(Anemos and Aer were the names of the largest hurricane and tornado respectively to have ever existed. Born from the same wind on the same day, Anemos flowed to the sea and became the mightiest hurricane, while Aer flowed to land and became the strongest tornado.
Anemos, the more gigantic of the winds, once destroyed an entire nation in antiquity. Aer, the more violent wind, claimed the life of the green dragon Hetzling.
These two spears contain the mystical power discovered at the respective cores of Anemos and Aer, and were known in ancient times as the ‘Wrath of the Wind God’.)

Aer was the longer, piercing-type spear, while the comparatively shorter Anemos was the explosive type.

Having read the identification by now, Eloah whooped excitedly, jumping around calling it a jackpot. Doyun too raised his expectations after reading the spears’ effects.

“Hero! Take a look at this! These spears are among the most renowned items in the Lockenmeyer royal armory! Dual-wield spears acclaimed across the entire continent!”

While their exact might was unclear, Eloah’s elation suggested they were exceptionally impressive items.

“Wow… To bestow such treasures upon us…!”

“I almost regret declining their invitation.”

The Lockenmeyer royal court had originally invited Doyun to their palace, but he had refused.

As mentioned earlier, he wished to avoid immediate fame at the moment.

Of course, he hadn’t simply rejected a nation’s monarch – the Skeletonian royals, understanding his reasons, had spoken on his behalf as Doyun was an invaluable national asset. He had even faced an assassination attempt once already.

The city lord rescued by Eloah and Doyun had also advocated for him. By extension, Haineken had somehow learned of this and directly contacted the Lockenmeyer king to support Doyun – apparently, the title of ‘Hero’ wielded far greater influence in this era than expected.

It had become quite the clamorous affair just to decline an invitation. But ultimately, the Lockenmeyer royals had backed down in trepidation, fostering a perception among them and surrounding nations that this Disciple Doyun wielded immense covert influence from shadowy backers.

Inadvertently, an atmosphere of various powers being unable to recklessly provoke Doyun had been cultivated.

‘Though I do feel a bit apologetic towards Lockenmeyer… becoming freer from the power dynamic is a positive.’

In exchange, the World Tree had pledged to reciprocate their goodwill in the future. After all, Lockenmeyer had done Doyun a great service, so brushing them aside would leave an unpleasant air for both sides.

Eloah took it in stride instead.

As the capable Master and Vice-Master of the nation’s top guild, Eloah and Millaine could turn this incident into an opportunity to foster closer ties between Lockenmeyer and the World Tree through apologies, gifts, and communication.

“Hero, please don’t concern yourself with such trifles! As a member of our guild, we’ll handle all the follow-up matters!”

“Reliable as ever, our Eloah.”

“Heheh.”

Eloah giggled bashfully as Doyun stroked her head.

Charmed by the chick’s bravado, Doyun decided not to dwell on it further.

+++

Having finally settled post-war matters, Doyun belatedly received room arrangements from Millaine.

“Here it is! You may not be too satisfied with the room quality. Lodging grades are assigned through internal evaluations and distributed accordingly within the guild.”

“This is more than sufficient, thank you.”

“I’m relieved you think so!”

Goodness, with such impeccable manners too! Millaine smiled inwardly, quite taken by Doyun.

From start to finish, he had left an overwhelmingly positive impression – his immense talent, refined appearance, dignified aura, and courteous demeanor.

Moreover, instead of depositing his 10,000 gold coin contract fee into a personal vault, he had decided to entrust it to the World Tree for safekeeping!

This offered him no personal benefits whatsoever.

The guild could theoretically seal their lips and cancel the payment, or if they went bankrupt, he would never recover that money.

Instead, while under the guild’s custodianship, it would only be his assets on paper – practically utilized as the World Tree’s liquid assets.

In other words, the World Tree needn’t worry about reduced cash reserves from that 10,000 gold coin expenditure.

This had been Disciple Han Doyun’s decision, out of consideration for the World Tree. When the Master had relayed this, Millaine had genuinely wanted to hug and kiss him.

‘And to play the devoted son from day one…!’

Thanks to this ambush incident, the World Tree’s stature had soared tremendously, even establishing amicable ties with the Lockenmeyer royals. The World Tree had reaped immense intangible benefits.

Hence, from Millaine’s perspective as the guild’s vice-master and chief administrator, Doyun could only be seen as an outright blessing.

“Just wait a little! In the next guild performance evaluation, Han Doyun’s promotion from E-rank is a done deal!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! In fact, based on merit alone, an immediate special promotion to D-rank wouldn’t be an overstatement. But Disciple Han only joined yesterday, so… it would inevitably raise objections internally. I’m so sorry. Can you understand?”

“Guild unity is of utmost importance. Please process it by the rules without concern.”

“Oh, to always speak so eloquently!”

Doyun gave Millaine a faint smile. To him, having such an energetic yet considerate woman by Eloah’s side was truly fortunate.

Even Eloah, who had to maintain decorum as the Guild Master before others, would surely feel far less burdened with Millaine’s presence.

‘I hear she cherishes Millaine like a younger sister… I should look into extending her lifespan someday.’

While longevity items weren’t common, if it allowed her to remain by Eloah’s side longer, he would spare no effort making it possible.

“Then rest well! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Still beaming, Millaine closed the door behind her as she left.

After surveying his modest lodgings, Doyun opened his status window – time to resolve the lingering curiosity he had postponed until now.

‘Let’s take a look.’

Doyun accessed the skill description for [Manifest Sword].