Chapter 146 : The Final Trial (Part 2)

The time began to tick.

*TING*

When the two seals had been broken.

*TING*

The final trial would appear soon.

*TING*

In the dark room.

A young man was standing in front of raging flames.

*TING*

Rei swung his hammer again to forge this thing he planned to make.

*TING*

Without wearing any safety gear, he faced the heat and the sparks in between each strike he made without fear.

*TING*

It has been 3 days ever since he came back from his expedition.

But once he's back in the city, he doesn't take his time to rest but instead...

He went inside the workshop and immediately grabbed his hammer and started to work on his new creation.

And of course, without resting.

The spectator who watched him this closely and admired his bravery and dedication towards the thing that he forged.

The spectator was Osgar, the blacksmith who worked for Sigebehrt.

Within this closed room, he's the only one who watched this young man working on his own weapon by himself.

'I feel like this is a dream... but to think such a young man like him exists in this era, forging legendary weapons not once but twice?'

'Not only that, he is good at fighting...it makes me wonder, where did such a monster like him come from.'

'The moment he revealed himself, he could change how the world views us Blacksmiths.' Osgar thought, while watching him forge such a magnificent piece.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

Someone knocked on the steel door behind him. Osgar left his spot to open the door and let Rei focus on his work.

*CREAK*

He opened the door, and he met the usual guest who came to see him, "Ohh, thank you for coming, my lord...young lady, welcome."

It was Vincent and Alicia who came by.

"My apologies for keeping on visiting you at times like this." Vincent spoke.

Osgar immediately came out and closed the door.

"You don't have to apologize. Blame the guy who has been swinging his hammer non-stop." Osgar sighed and shifted his eyes towards Alicia.

"And if it isn't the young lady again, are you worried about your boyfriend?" Osgar teased.

"B-boyfriend?! I-i'm just checking on how Crimson is doing... that's all." Alicia, who failed to hide her flustered face, immediately fiddled with her fingers to hide her embarrassment.

"It's been 3 days ever since the expedition...so I thought I wanna know how he has been doing." Alicia spoke.

But Vincent and Osgar just smiled at her.

"W-wait, why are you both smiling like that!" Alicia spoke out upon seeing their smile.

"Hahaha, it's okay, someone young like you should experience something like this." Vincent spoke.

"That's true, I still remember my wife nagging me after I've been busy with work." Osgar commented.

Alicia's face became redder, "C-could you both please stop teasing me!!"

Vincent and Osgar just laughed seeing this embarrassed little girl.

But then the mood shifted into something serious, "Well jokes aside...it's been 3 days straight already, what is Crimson making now?"

Osgar shook his head, "I'm not sure either...I couldn't even get closer to him, or I would be swallowed up by the heat."

"The heat?" Vincent repeated.

"His body is surrounded in flames while swinging his hammer." Osgar explained.

"Is he okay?!" Alicia raised her voice the moment she heard it, looking very concerned.

"I am afraid I can not tell, I saw his body covered in burn scars... but I don't think it is normal." Osgar spoke.

"Burn scars? Did he get it while doing his work?" Vincent asked as he was curious.

"Apparently, no... I think it's something that happened before he came here."

"I can tell how long those scars appear since I do have some while working in this field."

"But...."

"But?" Vincent asked.

"Strangely, the scars are almost all over his body, covering his both arms up to his neck, as if he is wearing a blazing heat of fire which covers his body that caused those scars to appears." Osgar explained.

They were shocked to hear that, but out of the two of them, Alicia was the one who looked more horrified.

"It can't be... I heard he didn't receive any single injuries in the fight from the report." Vincent spoke.

"But I saw the burn marks, and...I must say, it seems pretty severe from the looks of it." Osgar added.

Alicia lifted her hand, "I think... I know why he had those scars."

"Huh? You do?" Vincent asked.

"Yes... since I noticed it during the expedition." Alicia spoke.

"Then...what could possibly hurt him?" Osgae asked her.

But Alicia shook her head and refused to tell, "I cannot tell you...since Crimson-san told me not to...but the more I watched him, the more I felt hurt when I saw him fighting alone like that."

Vincent and Osgar couldn't help but stay quiet when they heard it.

Osgar sighed, "I understand... but what he needs medical attention and rest."

"From just one glance...I could tell that he had experienced an unimaginable pain, imagine yourself being burnt alive like that all over your body."

"It makes me shiver..." Osgar explained.

Vincent looked even more concerned and nodded his head in agreement.

"I agreed... After he is done with his work, we will immediately give our all to help him." Vincent spoke.

"Since...he is our only hope to save this land." Vincent declared.

'But... such a young man like him...why does he have to go that far.' He wondered

Vincent couldn't help but feel guilty by giving this burden to him.

"T-then...I-i shall do my best to help him! Since I am an S-class Adventurer myself, this [Saintess] will definitely help him." Alicia declared while mentioning her title that was given by the people who saw her in action, which is surprising.

Vincent and Osgar felt moved by her words, "That's true...we're gonna help him with all we got."

"Then I shall prepare the weaponry stock for our soldiers." Osgar spoke.

"Thank you." Vincent spoke.

"Well, I can not help but be fired up like this...seeing two youngsters who happened to not be the native of this land helping us like this." Osgar spoke.

"N-no! I'm just doing what I can to help... that's all!" Alicia became more flustered at this moment.

But Osgar shook his head, "No, young lady, you and him had done remarkable things for us strangers."

"So that's why, we are thankful for what you and your friends had done to this land." Vincent spoke.

Their words made Alicia fluster once more since she immediately shrunk after saying something quite embarrassing.

"N-no problem...it just so happens that I have achieved my goal." Alicia spoke quietly.

Vincent and Osgar couldn't help but feel relaxed by the atmosphere.

But...

They're running out of time, so...

They immediately prepared for this upcoming danger that would befall them.

******

Then...on the fourth day, in the middle of night…

*CREAK*

The door from the workshop was finally opened.

*PSHHHH*

Releasing all the smoke and heat that had been kept from inside of the room.

*TAP*

Rei emerged from the workshop.

Osgar, who was walking and holding a box filled with forging tools, was surprised by his appearance.

"Crimson... Crimson has finished his work!!" Osgar immediately put the box down and quickly went out to report to Vincent.

Meanwhile, Vincent, who heard it, immediately left his office and ran towards the basement where the workshop was located.

"Sir Crimson!"

Rei heard him calling his name, but instead of responding to him.

His body.

Fell to the ground.

"....!?"

Both of them were surprised to see it.

"What's wrong?! Sir Crimson!"

Vincent ran at him and immediately tried to grab him.

But...

*GROWL*

His stomach growled loudly, which made them know that he wasn't sick or anything.

But...

He was just hungry for food.

******

Then, they're back to square one, and all of them were gathered together inside of the dining room.

*MUNCH* *MUNCH* *MUNCH*

The sight of Rei eating a large portion of food could be seen by all of them once more.

'Deja vu?' Vincent, Gilbert, even Heisman thought the same thing as they watched him.

Rei was still munching his food. As he took a large gulp, he immediately began to open his mouth.

"Now then, since we have one day left, I shall tell you about the final trial." And decided to talk while he ate.

Vincent had been waiting for this moment. For these past 4 days, he had been preparing the soldiers for the final battle.

He also used his expenses that he gained from the expedition to hire more adventurers from the guild.

"Thank you, Sir Crimson."

"It's okay since I know you have done your best preparing for this upcoming fight." Rei spoke.

"Indeed, the number of the monsters have been increasing, and some of them have tried to raid this city."

"But thankfully, we had enough manpower to prevent it. Thanks to you for reducing the number of expeditions that are needed, we could defend this city." Vincent spoke.

"You shouldn't thank me this early since the real problem has yet to show up." Rei replied.

"I know." Vincent nodded.

Rei put down the food that he's holding to tell them something they looked forward to hearing from him, "The next trial I am about to face is called [The Trial of Human]."

"[The Trial of Human] is the final trial that needs to be dealt with to end this curse."

"The Trial is about judging whether us humans...is something that needs to be kept alive."

"In other words, this fight is a choice whether the human has the right to survive or not." Rei explained.

They couldn't help but be caught off guard by his words.

"Such an arrogant statement..." Vincent commented and ground his teeth, "Does the one who cursed this land...think that they are the Gods."

But Rei shook his head, "No... they don't think of themselves as one."

"They... don't?" Gilbert asked.

"Yeah, from the two trials that I experienced, I can tell that... they just do what they believe was right."

[I want to protect even I have to be kept alive as a tool].

[Trial of Life]

[I want to protect even I have to become death itself and took someone life to strengthen myself].

[Trial of Death]

"Each trials represents their ideals to protect the throne that they were seating, so rather than a God, they were once a human whose desire grow stronger and creating both miracle and curse."

"And if they were a god, they would announce their name as a God, since most of them does." Rei explained.

"Except one God." Rei glanced at them as they were looking at him in confusion.

"Then...why are they doing such a thing? Judging us, humans?" Vincent asked out of curious.

"Because...the human that they believed to be kind... had pushed them to the edge and made a choice to become something that was closer to the disaster itself." Rei spoke.

"It can't be..." Gilbert finds it hard to believe.

But, that is undeniable truth.

"Ohh, yes, it can...if you want to blame something or someone... then, here's what I thought."

"It is the human's fault in the beginning who created this curse."

"It is the human's fault who caused this madness."

"And it is because of the human's greed....who wanted this to happen in the first place." Rei spoke with so much weight in it.

Heavy silence filled the room as soon as they heard it.

"Now, do you understand why the trial is named like that?"

"Your ancestors, the people who lived here centuries ago, caused this curse to happen."

"So, whose fault is it, if not the humans themselves?" Rei spoke.

"Admit it, us human is the one who created this disaster, the more we denied it...the more destruction it could lead."

Vincent couldn't say anything to refute his words.

Because what Rei said was true, most of the disaster was caused by humans.

No, rather...it's because of their greed.

An endless one, which caused many disasters.

Which made him recall the events during the past few years of him living in this world.

The way he spoke, it's as if he was blaming the humans, including himself.

Then Rei shifted his eyes towards them,

"But...I do not completely blame the humans, because among them, there's still my family, friends and people I consider precious."

"Which is why I am here, to prove that humans can change and can withstand this trial that [he] gave to us." Rei stated.

And that made them look at him in awe, especially Gilbert, who's the same age as him.

The way he spoke, and the way he thought…it's as if he was an adult. No, someone older than that.

"I understand... I will give you my full support on this final trial of yours." Vincent spoke while slowly bowing his head.

"We don't have any other options, seeing your report from the last expedition and from the way you speak..."

"It completely blew my mind."

"That is why...once again, I, Vincent Van Sigeberht, will be indebted forever to Adventurer Crimson if he manages to end this curse." Vincent continued to bow his head, followed by his son—Gilbert and his butler—Heisman.

Rei looked towards them and smiled, "Then, I'll be in your care now... tomorrow will be a big day, so let's prepare our strategy for tonight."

"Yes!" They answered simultaneously.

"But...sir Crimson." Vincent raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Can I know...what are we fighting against?" Vincent asked.

Rei smiled at him.

"Well, about that... I actually do not know~ tee-hee~"

.

.

.

.

.

.

"WHAATTTTTT?!!"

Even after knowing that Rei didn't possess that crucial information, they still gathered to have a meeting.

But at least he had some information about the phases.

Phase one would be Fortress Defense, where monsters started raiding the city in one direction, which was the gate.

The monsters would be varied in size, from small to big, and the numbers were more than a thousand based on the size of the city.

Then, phase two.

Phase two was when they were going to raid the Boss location. Of course, there would be monsters guarding that place.

High-ranked monsters and probably undead would be there to stop them from advancing.

And the last phase.

"Is where I meet the boss."

"This fight will be done by me. And me alone. So do not interfere because we don't want the boss to shift their targets to you all and decide to help their minions, right?" Rei explained.

In the meeting room within the Sigebehrt's manor, Rei relayed the information to the Adventurers Guild and the Leaders of the Army of Sigebehrt family.

Raven and Hiba acted as the Adventurers representative.

Garon and Gilbert acted as the Leader's Army representative.

As for Vincent, he acted as the commander since he had the highest authority in this place.

Meanwhile, Rei acted as the front-liner, which was the Vanguard who led them all in the battle.

"So that's all the phase that I know so far." Rei ended his explanation.

"Is there any question?" Rei asked.

They were all definitely confused, but at the same time, they understood what he meant.

Gilbert raised his hand, "Crimson-san."

"Yes?"

"May we know where this [place] the boss is located?" Gilbert asked.

"Yeah, that's true, knowing the enemy territory first is a must. We can not just jump in without a plan." Hiba spoke.

Rei looked at them and nodded, "That is indeed true, but unfortunately... I do not know what kind of place we are going to fight in."

"You... don't?" Hiba replied.

"Yes, until now, I mostly guessed the trials based on the lore and the story of how the trials showed up."

"But for this trial, I do not know... what kind of being we are going to face because the story that created this trial is still unfinished." Rei explained.

"That's why I cannot randomly guessed it and endangered our survival rate." Rei shook his head. That is his answer to their question.

"I see..." Hiba replied.

"And...in this fight, there will be casualties, even if I have the strength, it doesn't mean I can protect you all at the same time, right?"

Vincent nodded his head, "I understand because we all knew... casualties are unavoidable."

Rei nodded, "This battle could be the last of us, but I would not allow unnecessary sacrifices."

Vincent then raised his hand, "Then I shall announce, in phase one we start by preserving our stamina. Since this is a battle of wits and spirits, our enemy will have thousands of monsters"

"For phase two, I suggest we create an elite force, which is Sir Crimson and the S-class adventurers with the other talented soldiers."

"With this, we can also preserve some soldiers and adventurers to be put on standby and protect the city." Vincent explained.

"We all know... this fight might be the last we see each other, but with sir Crimson here, do not fear, and continue to move forward!"

"We shall free our land from this curse, and it will go down in history!"

"Let's begin the preparation!"

Vincent declared with such fervor and confidence, which made them less nervous.

"Yes, my lord!" They all spoke simultaneously.

Except Rei, who only nodded his head.

They all agreed to this plan.

As the night fell, they all rested before facing the end.

*******

In the midst of a snowy night, within this dark forest, which is pretty far from Halvenburg city.

Several scouts were fetched out to observe the surroundings and hopefully found the source of the monsters.

*SWOOSH*

The leader of the scouts stopped his movement and raised his hand to signal his subordinates to stop moving.

"What is it, captain?"

One of his subordinates spoke.

Then their leader looked up as his eyes widened after witnessing something unbelievable.

"I don't remember this place at all..."

Then he jumped off towards a tree to have a closer look.

His subordinates followed after him, and they saw...

This...

In the blizzard, after getting out of the forest, they saw a silhouette of something.

Something big and tall.

Once they took a closer look, they recognized it.

"It can't be...the [Dangerous zone] which is off limits...to think it was hiding such place!"

The leader spoke.

As the blizzard slightly receded, it revealed…

A large castle, surrounded with monsters from within and outside of the castle.

An army of all kinds of undead from various monsters just standing there like statues.

The numbers?

'There would be around more than a million monsters here!.'

"We need to report this!!" The leader of the scouts shouted at them.

*"My apologies, but I can't let you leave..."*

Suddenly, a telepathic voice was announced within their heads. They were surprised to hear it and looked around them, but there was nothing but white snow and trees.

"Who is it?!" When the leader asked the one who spoke to them.

Then...

*SWOOSH*

Something emerged from the castle and flew up to the sky.

"H-how...." The leader who saw it immediately kneeled while in despair.

As a large wings spread out from this something big that flew up in the sky....something unbelievable showed up before their eyes.

Then... before they could utter any words.

*SWOOSH*

.

.

.

.

.

*BOOM*

That something spouted out a dark flame, burning down the forest where the scouts stood, turning them into nothing but ashes in this white snow field.

*"It's not the time yet..."*

As it spoke.

*"Soon... everything will come to an end, on the right time."*

It flew back to the castle.

*"And...[I], shall be waiting for you....[irregular]."*

To be continued...