Chapter 197: Only to Survive

“Haa…”

Hio breathed heavily while lying on the ground.

He didn’t have the luxury to care about the ash sticking to his sweat.

He was too busy trying to replenish his exhausted stamina and Magic Power.

One could tell how dangerous the previous battle had been just by looking around.

The nearby ground was overturned, gouged, and crushed as if it were mere clay.

The corpses of all sorts of Strange Entities — burned, frozen, and pulverized — were scattered everywhere.

Despite that, he had survived.

His body and mind, pushed to their absolute limits, would become even firmer, and his Magic Power and stamina, which had been completely drained, would grow further as well.

However.

“Phew… damn it.”

He hadn’t risked his life just for this level of growth.

He had hoped to leap at least one stage higher.

‘Well, I can’t expect to be satisfied after just one spoonful.’

It was greed.

After resting for a while, he used his recovered Magic Power and Abyssal Curse to summon Theodore again.

The darkness clumped together to form a shape.

As Theodore reappeared, a wave of intense emotion washed over Hio.

“…Are you angry too?”

Rage.

As a knight who handled a sword and a guard who protected the Emperor, Theodore was furious at himself for being defeated by Strange Entities and having his body broken before being unsummoned.

“That’s why we need to get stronger. Imagine if those things were unleashed on the Continent.”

Before, Hio thought the Abyssal Curse that destroyed all life and killed the soil was the biggest problem.

But after experiencing this, he realized that if those Strange Entities were released, the world would be destroyed by them long before the Abyssal Curse could finish the job.

They were that strong.

“Especially… that super-giant Strange Entity and the few around it.”

Their strength was beyond imagination.

Even after Hio poured out dozens of spells — modified into even sharper forms and mixed with destructive Abyssal Curse — the monsters had swung their fists and stomped the ground as if nothing had happened.

Apparently, that would be the strongest enemy he had to encounter before reaching Tetradia.

The problem was that the super-giant Strange Entity wasn’t the only one.

There were at least two, including that one.

He might even encounter more on the way.

“I have to get stronger.”

As Hio spoke while staring at the sky with his limbs sprawled out, Theodore stood by his side and looked down at him.

The only view behind Theodore was the blackened air surrounded by the Abyss.

‘Still, I’m getting used to this scenery. It’s almost familiar now.’

Hio stood up while listening to Theodore’s will.

He used purification magic to wash away the grime on his clothes and sweat, then struggled to his feet.

“Don’t use undead? You’re an undead too, you know.”

Hio chuckled and patted Theodore’s arm as he felt the knight’s emotions suddenly turn sour.

“I know.

It’s a joke, a joke.”

Even without Theodore’s input, Hio didn’t plan on using other undead in the battles that would occur every night.

The same went for his skills.

The goal was to gain enlightenment and grow, not just to hunt all the Strange Entities alone.

‘Why keep Theodore by his side while not using other undead?’

It was because their growth potential was different.

The 255 undead stored in the Sarcophagus of Death were each as strong as Theodore.

However, their potential for growth was blocked.

They had become undead through a complete process and were bound by a perfect master-servant relationship.

On the other hand, Theodore had only the minimum constraints.

His thoughts, emotions, and will were exactly as they were when he was alive.

An undead who thought, moved, and strove to become stronger on his own.

That was Theodore, and that was why they moved together.

Moreover, Hio didn’t feel like he could win against that super-giant Strange Entity even if he used all his undead.

‘Well, maybe if I used my skills…’

“Anyway… let’s move at least a little bit.”

He forced his heavy legs to walk slowly across the shattered earth.

His pace was naturally slow, which would delay his arrival at Tetradia.

The time he gained would belong entirely to the growth of Hio and Theodore.

“If I slip up, I’ll die at the hands of a Strange Entity before I even see Tetradia.”

Perhaps his own growth was part of the Kroetzwald Plan.

Regardless, he had to get stronger first.

This was an extreme crisis, but also an opportunity.

“For now, let’s do our best to survive.”

He would endure, be patient, and wait.

If he did that, the opportunity would surely come.

Just like always.

***

Claire left the small village with a 13-year-old boy, wasting no time.

She had a long way to go and much to do.

Her original plan was to head to the Kingdom’s Capital of Hibernia, where the headquarters of the Cathedral were located, to assess the situation and act accordingly.

Most importantly, she needed to ensure the safety of the Cathedral and the priests.

To do that, she had to protect the Sanctuary and the Kingdom’s Capital.

However, she decided to change her plan slightly.

The situation within Hibernia seemed even worse than the Empire had anticipated.

She decided to scout the surrounding areas and visit at least one large city before heading to the capital, even if it meant taking a detour.

‘I should also find a priest who can purify the Abyssal Curse that’s destroying the child’s body.’

Even the nearest city was a few days’ march away.

It was a grueling pace for a child who had never left his village, but Hamelot didn’t show even a hint of complaint or exhaustion.

Instead, he constantly watched Claire’s face.

He was worried he might annoy or hinder her.

“What is your name?” Claire asked nonchalantly during a short break.

Hamelot’s expression brightened as if he were happy she had spoken to him.

“It’s Hamelot!”

His name was Hamelot.

He was 13 years old.

He was a poor child who lost his mother at age 8 and his father and siblings at age 9.

Perhaps because of the trauma at the time…

“I haven’t told this to anyone before, and I’m the only one who knows…”

Hamelot was a skill user who had awakened his ability on his own at age 9.

It wasn’t just any skill; it was quite useful.

It allowed him to grant sharpness to any object he held in his hands.

If he held a branch, it became a sword.

If he held a pine needle, it became a hidden weapon.

“That’s why I practiced a lot in secret!”

Hamelot picked up a dead pine needle from the ground, concentrated for a moment, and threw it.

The needle flew through the air and embedded itself deep into a tree.

Even though it wasn’t thrown very fast, it sank in almost to the end.

It wasn’t something that could be explained by simple sharpness alone.

There was another ability involved that she hadn’t identified yet.

“With this… can I go with you?”

“We are already going together.”

“No, I mean to your real destination.”

“No.”

There was no way.

He might become quite formidable in the future with more training, but he was currently too young.

His ability wasn’t enough to face an Abyss Monster, and an inexperienced child had no business on a battlefield.

At Claire’s firm refusal, Hamelot remained silent for a moment before nodding in acceptance.

“…Yes.”

But Claire knew.

She could see the passion in Hamelot’s eyes burning even brighter.

He hadn’t accepted it at all.

‘I was like that once, too.’

The landscape they passed while moving toward the large city was worse than expected.

Ghost towns were common, and they were often ambushed by Abyss Monsters in unexpected places.

The Abyssal Curse had spread much further than she thought.

Carcasses of beasts were torn apart and rotting, and trees and plants exposed to the Abyssal Curse for a long time were turning black and dying.

The land was literally becoming a land of death.

There were no people nearby, and it was no longer a place where animals or plants could live.

Claire took in the scenery with her own two eyes, while Hamelot, looking shocked, tirelessly bombarded her with questions.

Claire answered them as best as she could, and Hamelot would fall into deep thought with a serious expression that didn’t match his age.

During their journey, Claire taught him not only her knowledge but also various useful martial arts.

Although Claire was now famous as one of the most powerful skill users in the Empire alongside Melissa, she had also learned swordsmanship and dagger techniques.

She had learned a great deal from her seniors in the Royal Knights, so while she couldn’t use aura, she was as skilled as any knight.

Hamelot, possessing great talent, absorbed everything Claire taught him and followed her instructions well.

“Then, should I call you Master now?”

“No.”

She had only taught him how to grip a sword, a few stances, and some techniques.

That didn’t make her a master.

She had no intention of taking a disciple, nor did she feel her skills were at that level yet.

Once they reached the city and she handed him over to a priest, she planned to head straight to the capital.

There was no need to grow attached.

He was just a boy from a small village.

If Claire hadn’t been there, he would have died at the hands of a single Abyss Monster.

She had saved him, shared knowledge about the world, and taught him the basics of martial arts.

She planned to take him to the city, introduce him to a priest, and even mention his ability.

He would eventually meet the city’s nobles, and if they had eyes, they would recognize his talent and raise him as a knight or a holy knight.

For a boy from a small country village, those few days were like a miracle.

There was no reason to give him more affection or teach him anything else.

And yet, why did he keep weighing on her mind?

If she had to think of a reason…

‘…Hio.’

It was because Hio kept coming to mind.

It wasn’t that Hamelot and Hio were alike.

Specifically, it was because Hamelot resembled Claire herself.

She had been a girl from a small village.

Hio had saved her, recognized her talent, and helped her move through the Imperial Academy and into the Royal Knights.

He had always been at the front, shining brightly from the highest place — her goal and her idol.

Hamelot had eyes exactly like hers back then, which was why she couldn’t stop worrying about him or telling him about the harsh world.

“I think we’re almost at the city, Master.”

“Don’t call me Master.”

“Yes, Master.”

After camping one more night in a land where even the common sound of insects was absent and all life seemed dead, the two arrived at Thalassa, a large city in western Hibernia.