Zich looked at the people he gathered. Til could block their enemies at the very front with Zich. Leona could hold their enemies back with arrows and magic. Of course, Walwiss could also strike their enemies with big blows from the rear. Finally, Lubella could support her allies with different sorts of holy magic and healing abilities. It was an ideal composition for a party. In terms of stability, it was a level above the party Zich had been leading since his regression.
Zich stroked Estellade at his waist and thought, ‘Zich Brave’s party...’
Zich didn’t think Zich Brave was the same person as him by any means. After weighing his options, however, Zich was certain that the people standing in front of him were the ones most suitable for his plan. Not only did they individually possess high-level skills, but they also filled each other’s weaknesses to make up the perfect team. Furthermore, Lyla also transferred memories of Zich Brave fighting against these members, and Zich had the capability to bring out the best of this party with just this information.
Four pairs of eyes turned to Zich. Although each of them possessed outstanding skills in their area of expertise, it was clear that they thought of Zich to be their leader with this gesture.
“Are you all ready?” Zich asked.
“Of course.” The first one to speak was the shy giant, Til. Although he didn’t open his mouth unless it was for public affairs, his lips moved speedily now.
“I am completely ready to kill those bastards.” His eyes burned with rage and loathing.
The four were joining Zich’s party not only because of their kinship with Zich, but because they were going to fight the world’s worst enemy: the Bellids. Yet, their biggest reason and ambition for joining was much more personal: Zich revealed to them that the one behind their recent heartbreak was the Bellid pope.
Til had lost his friend, Nick. Of course, he knew that Nick had acted foolishly, but he also couldn’t forgive the organization that had stood by his friend’s side and egged him on to make the wrong decision.
“It’s the same for me.” Unlike her usually cheerful voice, Leona sounded solemn. “My anger won’t subside until I shoot an arrow through that guy’s forehead.”
The Iron Tribe had been the cause of the elves’ war that swept the Great Adrowon Forest. Of course, Ultel had little influence over that war since the Iron Tribe had later betrayed the robed figures and begun to act on their own. However, this still didn’t change the fact the robed figures had compelled the Iron Tribe to act, and their goal had been to get the tribe to rule over all the other elves. When Zich disclosed this information, the elves lingering in Violsa left to join the allied forces and Leona accepted Zich’s request to join his party. Of course, the elves had protested when they heard that their princess would be fighting separately, but in the end, Leona had managed to get their permission.
“Hoho! By the sounds of it, it seems like you both suffered quite a bit from those guys. They have really committed a lot of sins.” Walwiss smiled slightly, but it wasn’t because his resentment toward Ultel and his subordinates had disappeared, as indicated by his following words. “I suppose that makes it more worth it to burn them alive. I will inflict as much pain on them as possible in between.”
Walwiss was not pouring out his rage, but that rage was quietly growing deep inside him. He had lost his son because of those guys. Walwiss thought that his son, Orland, had been terribly foolish and had brought about his own misfortune due to his foolishness. But that was a different thing, and Walwiss could never forgive those who had encouraged and corrupted his son.
There was only one person left to speak now, and everyone’s eyes turned to Lubella.
“Hm, I do have the experience of being called a witch because of them.” Lubella gave them a bright smile. “But does the Karuwiman Saintess really need a reason to go kill the Bellid pope?”
No truer words had ever been spoken. Even if she wasn’t personally affected by the Bellids, the Karuwiman Saintess was supposed to rush at the opportunity of killing the Bellid pope. After venting their anger, the three nodded at Lubella’s reasonable words.
“It seems like everyone is ready. Let’s go and make those damn guys pay for their sins.”
Zich turned around and walked away. Til, Leona, Walwiss, and Lubella followed him. This was the party that would ambush the Bellids’ headquarters and cut off their heads.
***
Zich and his party crossed the border. They moved mostly through the deep mountains and forests to avoid being spotted. Although Zich, Til, and the elf, Leona, were fine with their honed physique and stamina, Walwiss and Lubella were the problems. Although Lubella had been training her physique, the terrain they were walking through was absolutely brutal. It was especially tiring for Walwiss, who was an old mage. Whenever they appeared tired, Zich and Til carried them on their backs and continued moving.
There was no sign of their path becoming easier, and there was still a long distance to cover. Since there was no mountain or forest leading straight from the battlefield to the headquarters in the lake, they needed to run around quite a bit. Yet, no one in the party complained. For the sake of their revenge and the world’s future, they silently endured the difficulties.
As they headed to the headquarters, the sky gradually turned red while the darkness chased away the sun. Zich and his companions overlooked the scenery before them from the top of a mountain and saw a blue lake that stretched widely. Although they were standing on high ground, they couldn’t see the ends of the lake. It really would’ve been mistaken as an ocean if they didn't know what it was.
“That’s the place.” Lubella’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the lake. It was the location of the headquarters of the Bellids—the Karuwimans' arch-nemeses and parasites that infested the world. The Bellids were trash that only produced harm, and with those thoughts, Lubella believed that the peaceful blue lake looked like filthy sewage emitting a terrible stench.
“Wow! Is that really a lake?” Since Leona’s hatred toward the Bellids wasn’t as deeply rooted like Lubella’s, she showed interest in the lake itself.
“I thought our lake was big, but this is beyond my wildest imaginations!” As an elf belonging to the Lake Tribe, Leona had always been familiar with lakes, but the size of the Mirotel Lake shocked her.
“Tch, tch! This is why those lacking experience...”
“What did you say?” Leona hissed at Walwiss’ snide mutterings.
“That’s really rich coming from a weak, frail mage who had to be carried by Zich and Til the whole way here!”
“Everyone has different capabilities. I can’t believe you don’t think of that and judge people however you want with your prejudices. It’s so easy to see your character by listening to your words.”
“Is that something someone who just sneered at me for lacking experience should say?”
“Reality and prejudice are different things.”
Walwiss and Leone bickered again. The rest of the party members were already used to their fighting and let the two be. They knew they would soon tire themselves out naturally if they waited a bit.
il still hadn’t said a word, but the gaze in his eyes seemed to indicate that the lake’s appearance awed him. Perhaps, he was already making travel plans to take the children to this place.
Zich clapped once and gathered the people’s attention.
“As you all can see, our destination is right before us. We can probably reach the lake tomorrow. Before the sun completely sets, let’s go down to the bottom of this mountain and camp there. Then, we can leave early in the morning.” Zich glanced at the lake once and turned his attention to the plains between the mountain and the lake. Monsters and the undead were wandering and surveilling the place in groups of twos and threes.
“Moving under the cover of the mountains and forests ends here. We will have to engage in battle starting tomorrow,” Zich said.
Of course, it wasn’t as if Zich’s party had been able to avoid all fights. They had sometimes encountered wild monsters in the mountains, and the Bellids had also spotted them at times when they needed to cross paths cut off from the forests and mountains. Yet, starting tomorrow, their fighting would officially begin. There was no way the Bellids wouldn’t notice if their scouts died right before their eyes.
“Let’s get a good rest today and really have a crazy go at it tomorrow—until we take that damn Bellid boss’ head.”
Everyone nodded vigorously.
***
“Kkuaaaaaah!”
A monster charged at them with a loud roar. Without any special techniques or skills, the monsters only attacked with body slams, but thanks to the monsters’ high physical skills, it was an impressive means of fighting. Unfortunately for the monsters, they barely posed any danger to Zich and his companions.
Crack! The monster’s body collided with Til’s sword, and its body split into two instantly. It wasn’t even the sharpness of the sword; the monster’s body had been split in twain by the aftershock of Til’s enormous power.
Thud! Til ripped apart any undead and monsters coming his way and advanced forward.
“I suppose I won’t need to use magic for a while,” Walwiss murmured as he glanced at the monster corpses lying next to them in shambles with their blood and guts spilling everywhere.
Zich agreed. “There’s no way an undead or monster of that level can defeat Til.”
“Isn’t it better for us to help him?” Leona asked while placing her arrow above her bowstring.
“It’s fine. There’s no way Mr. Til’s stamina will drop from just that. Isn’t that right, Mr. Til?”
“Yes!” Til answered heartily and swung his sword once again. All the undead approaching them crumbled into pieces.
“It’s not like we are getting delayed. Let’s leave this matter up to Mr. Til.” If they slowed down their walking speed even a little, Zich would’ve also joined Til in defeating their enemies. Yet, they were all walking like they were on a flat plain with not a single enemy in sight. As the leader, Zich decided on this, and everyone agreed without any complaints. Not too long after Til had destroyed the monsters and the undead in their paths, they were able to see the ripples on the lakeshore right in front of them.
Splash! Splash!
Zich entered the lake with no hesitation. After walking until the water reached his waist, he took out a magic box from his belongings. A boat appeared in the air.
Shaaaaa!
Foam that rose when the boat fell into the lake was gently pushed onto the lakeshore and Zich pointed at the boat while looking at his companions. “Let’s ride it.”
Not long afterward, the boat holding Zich and his companions began to move across the lake.