The Extra Can't be A Hero

Chapter 86: Qyriwirth (4)

After obtaining Horus' permission to hunt the Blood Demon, the Golden Order Knight dismissed everyone but Amon from the tent. Horus wanted to hear Amon's plan, mainly since he seemed confident in battling the absurd threat.

However, before that...

"Amon Solaris, you are a piece of work, do you know that?"

"..."

Horus dropped all airs of a superior and now spoke to the young man with a disapproving sigh, akin to how a father would chastise his son. Amon tilted his head, not sure of what the legendary Knight meant, and that action drew a wry smile from Horus.

"Don't you know you're already at the centre of attention? Leon, too. You are caught up in a maelstrom from all corners of the Hyades Republic. Normally, I would advise you to keep a low profile, but you just had to pull off this flashy stunt!"

"..."

The Hyades Republic was the alliance of mankind. To prevent infighting or civil wars, Kingdoms and Empires were abolished, and the notion of countries was even blurred with the formation of the Republic. Most regions were still autonomous, and many had their own form of government.

For instance, Solfea had the Solaris House as its ruler, and Eshon had the Elune House. Other regions, like Hyarum, were ruled directly by the Holy Chuch. There were many more self-autonomous regions that each held a seat in the Hyades Republic's parliament, and they all coexisted peacefully because of their united motivation to protect mankind from internal and external threats.

But that didn't mean the delegates always saw eye-to-eye.

Whenever there were humans, there would be strife. It was the universal law of the natural law. The only thing keeping the Alliance together was that other threats could eradicate humanity. Otherwise, the Hyades Republic would have fractured long ago.

Usually, the regions would chase their interests, not caring about a single entity or organisation.

Yet, every corner of the Hyades Republic now knew of Amon and Leon's existence.

Leon's, in particular. He was the owner of Ascalon and the hero of this current generation. They were all curious about his existence and would do anything to get into the good books of the young man.

However, Horus thinks the world should be curious about Amon instead.

"When Alrock asked me to take on this mission as your protector, I hesitated. Not because I thought it was beneath me, but because I feared my presence might stunt your growth."

Horus was perhaps one of the few Solaris members who could call their Lord by name. Just a few years younger than the Patriarch, Horus was Alrock's best friend and the man he could always count on for personal affairs.

No Elder or Grand Commander held a closer position in Alrock's heart than the Knight of the Morning Star. That was why Alrock had complete confidence in Horus, giving him the vital role of protecting Leon, the owner of Ascalon.

Alrock would have assigned Horus his mentor if not for Leon's insistence on becoming Amon's squire. It goes to show how much the Solaris Lord trusted his treasured friend.

"I'd thought that with me around, you would rely on my guidance instead of forging a righteous path on your own. However, it seems like my worries were unnecessary."

Horus broke a wry smile and laughed.

"By all metrics, I shouldn't approve this mission and drag the two of you back to Solfea. My duty to Alrock compels me so. But... I can't stop a Knight from executing his noble desire to save lives."

"..."

Amon remained silent. He was unsure how to respond to Horus' high praise, so he remained quiet. Noting that the young lad wasn't going to speak, Horus continued:

"Your decision to save lives isn't wrong, Amon Solaris. You have developed a heroic heart even without my guidance. And for that, I will approve your mission."

"... thank you."

Horus's laughter bellowed through the tent as Amon gave a respectful bow. But little did he know Amon's bow was a mechanism to hide his stunned expression. The Pillar Knight's words struck a chord in the young Knight's heart, sending his mind into disarray.

'Heroic heart? Do I have one?'

Amon didn't want to save lives. He just wanted to kill the Blood Demon because it was the right thing to do. Like a character in a book, he was just acting out the scenarios. He didn't care how many lives were lost or saved. His only desire was the destruction of the Blood Demon.

For the first time, the former Transcendent called Number 23 questioned what he was doing.

Was he fighting the Blood Demon because he wished to save lives? No, that's not it. What about revenge? Amon felt a twinge in his heart when he heard that the Blood Demon had killed Arya in Yue's original timeline. But that passed after a few days.

So...

Why was he hunting the Blood Demon?

Why was he... fighting?

Amon didn't know... but eventually, he gave up thinking.

'What does it matter? I wanted to save the world from the day I came here. Killing the Blood Demon is just a step in that direction.'

Rationalising it like how Number 23 would, Amon zoned in on the task at hand. This was just one mission of many. And if he succeeded, he would get to live another day. But if he failed... it meant death.

And Amon wasn't afraid of it.

❖❖❖

Moments after receiving a lecture from Horus, Amon returned to his tent in preparation for the next battle. It was mainly to rest and recuperate some mana before attacking the Blood Demon, who had become much stronger than he'd initially anticipated.

'I'd thought by limiting the number of victims, we could prevent the Blood Demon from regaining much of its strength. It seems like we severely underestimated it.'

Upon reflecting, Amon realised that he was arrogant. Or, at the very least, complacent. Amon and Yue both knew the future, but as this event had shown... Their knowledge was imperfect.

The Blood Demon had hidden cards that were not detailed in [Bright], and Yue didn't face the enigmatic monster in her timeline. Hence, the Blood Demon could surprise them with new abilities beyond their preparations.

'That presence it created... It must be burning through its life essence.'

Amon instantly hypothesised. The Blood Demon was forced into a corner when Leon cracked the crimson blade. With no other options left, it could only burn what little life essence it had remaining to return to its former self temporarily.

However, even with that sacrifice, it was still weaker than Horus, a Pillar Knight with Six Suns condensed.

'If I can get it into a one-on-one battle, I can trounce it. But how would we do so without raising suspicions?'

It was a never-ending question for Amon Solaris. While he possessed superhuman abilities, he couldn't unveil them all, especially when so many eyes were watching him.

Caught in a conundrum, Amon was late to notice the tall lady who sat in the corner of his tent. Her presence was both striking and somber. Clad in her signature Black Order armour, the gloomy Knight gripped hard on her long, slender spear with a steady hand.

The moment Amon entered his abode, she stood up like a warrior ready to head into battle. Her silver eyes gleamed with expectation and determination. Amon raised his eyebrows as he softly murmured her name:

"Lucia? What are you doing here?"

"Amon..."

This was Amon's first time seeing his bubbly partner look so defeated. Lucia would typically walk with a pleasant smile on her face, brightening the days of everyone in the Eighteenth Squad. But this time, her mirth had disappeared entirely.

"Is it true? Did Torin get taken over by that Demon?"

"... yes."

Amon answered honestly. He didn't wish to sugarcoat the truth; he could not do such a thing. And that cold honesty was a source of disappointment and relief for his fellow partner.

"Is there no saving him?"

"Unfortunately, no," Amon revealed the harsh reality. "The Blood Demon usually kills its host before taking over their body. For it to use Sir Torin's body... It must mean he died."

Even in this world, reviving the dead was impossible. Necromancy did exist, but they controlled dead bodies much like how the Blood Demon created bloodless corpses. Liches that lived forever as undead were also a thing. However, they turned into undead when they were alive.

True resurrection was impossible, and Lucia knew that.

Nonetheless, it didn't lessen her grief.

"Torin, that fool... I told him not to go..."

Lucia shook her head and cursed at the man she failed to save. For Lucia, Torin wasn't a lover or a brother. At best, she thought of him as a friend and a colleague. So, the grief and anger weren't prolonged, and she felt it was more of a pity than actual remorse.

Still, as she observed Amon's nonchalance to it all, Lucia couldn't help but remark.

"You know... Torin wanted to surpass you. He saw you as a rival. That's why he left to hunt the Demon."

"..."

Amon looked at Lucia coldly. He didn't say a single word, but Lucia could roughly guess what he was thinking.

'Why would he do such a thing? What does it matter to me?'

Thoughts of indifference reigned in Amon's mind. For him, Torin was nothing more than a blip in history, one of many stones on the road. But to Torin, Amon was a mountain that he had to climb. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The two had drastically different perspectives of each other. Torin aimed to surpass Amon, but the latter didn't even acknowledge his existence. And unfortunately, Lucia could relate more to Torin than Amon in this case.

"You're cold, you know? A comrade just died, and you don't feel anything. Not even anger or disappointment. Sometimes, I wonder if you're human. But I guess that's what makes you a once-in-a-lifetime genius." Lucia let out a dry laugh.

"..."

Amon didn't know how to react to that. Staring blankly at the spearwoman, he waited for her following comment, only to be met with a return to her bubbly form.

"Okay! So where are we going?"

"No, your help isn't necessary."

"Argh?! I'm hurt! Do you think I'm too weak or something?"

"No... The nature of the Blood Demon..."

"Haha, I'm just pulling your leg!"

Lucia gently nudged her elbow on Amon's ribcage and poked fun at the man. Stepping forward, she muttered a whisper:

"Will you beat the Demon for me then? And avenge Torin in my stead?"

"... I was planning to do so anyway."

"Oya? Maybe there's some hope for you after all!"

The tanned woman flashed her pearly white teeth with pink gums and gently teased the stone-faced Amon. With her arms behind her back, she shuffled her feet towards the tent's exit, only to be stopped by Amon's low baritone.

"When we attack the Blood Demon, it may send some of its forces over. It would want to replenish its essence by absorbing the blood of fresh victims, and this is the closest human settlement in Mistwood. So, please protect the Hamlet while I'm out."

"Oh?"

Lucia paused and turned her head around. Genuinely stunned by the request, she dropped her jaw and laughed:

"HA! HA! I see! I was wrong, then! You aren't as cold as I'd thought!"

Amon watched his compatriot leave the tent with a hearty smile, he exhaled deeply and fell onto his chair for his long-deserved rest.

'Hah... Now, I have two statements to contemplate.'