Amelia the Level Zero Hero

Chapter 127

Arthur was supposed to be sleeping. He had been sent off to bed with Harlan when that elf showed up in the main lobby of Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant. But he had seen the serious looks being exchanged, and he couldn’t help himself— he had to eavesdrop on their discussion.

It had to be something important. And he was curious to know if maybe he could help out. But when he heard what their conversation was about, he immediately regretted his decision. He wanted to slink away and hide in his room out of shame.

Because they were talking about the Void.

Apparently, a [Hero] had succumbed to the temptations of the Void. It made Arthur shiver in fear, knowing that even [Heroes] were not immune to falling into depravity. But it made sense— after all, even as Ar’elith the Lich King, Arthur had become a slave to the Fal-Deus.

It made him hesitate. It made him shy away as he wanted to escape from listening to this conversation. The shame of knowing what he had become— what he had fallen prey to… it weighed heavily on his chest.

But right as he edged away from the kitchen door, he paused. He blinked as he watched the entrance of the restaurant swing open, and a winged figure took off into the air. Guardian Angel Z357 flew into the distance as Arthur just stared on.

Where…? he wanted to ask the question. But he caught himself.

He looked down at himself. Where Guardian Angel Z357 was going didn’t matter— what mattered was where Arthur himself went. He clenched a fist as he refused to back away from this discussion. Because he was the First Lich King. There was something he could have done to help. And he wasn’t going to run away… not out of shame.

As Arthur resolved himself, a flicker of electricity sparked out from his fists.

—--

“That is right,” Jax said as he lowered his head. “Kallistus Kal is after you, Amelia.”

I blinked a few times as the elf’s words echoed in my mind, before I finally steeled myself. I sat up and frowned. “What did you just say?”

Noele glanced towards me with a worried look, and Jax sighed.

“It’s… complicated,” the Forsaken Archer said. “But Kallistus Kal believes that you can—”

“No— not that part,” I immediately cut off the elf. “I meant the other part.”

I spoke seriously as I held Jax’s gaze. He furrowed his brows, before placing a hand on his chin.

“What other part?” he asked quizzically.

I gritted my teeth and rose to my feet. Bucky blinked as she looked my way, and Noele pursed her lips. They were all concerned about me. Jax, Noele, and Bucky. They thought that I’d be worried about myself if the [Hero King] was after me.

But I didn’t care about that. That was not what caught my attention. It was what that threat entailed that made me shake my head and turn back to the elf.

“You said that the [Hero King attacked Windrip— tell me what happened there.”

I spoke in a low voice, and Jax blinked.

“Oh.”

—--

So the Forsaken Archer explained what happened. I listened as Noele took a seat once more. The blonde girl bit her lower lip as the story came to an end.

“And that’s why Kallistus is after me, huh?” I sighed as I closed my eyes.

“That’s right.” Jax nodded. “He doesn’t know it’s you, but he’s searching for the one who opened the rift in Mount Arkais. And according to Grat-ra’zun, that person is you. So you’re the [Hero King]’s target.”

“But he doesn’t know who I am, and that means I should be fine here in Wolfwater,” I murmured, before I looked up towards the ceiling. “But Windrip is still…”

“It’s not destroyed— it’s just under the control of the Kingdom of Kal now,” the elf said.

That was a relief to hear. But that didn’t mean there weren’t casualties from the attack.

“And its people?” I asked, cracking an eye open.

“Other than the city guards? They’re mostly fine.” Jax paused. He took in a deep breath as he crossed his arms. “Except for Guildmaster Evan.”

My brows snapped together. “What happened to Evan?”

I knew him— he was the Guildmaster of the Adventurer’s Guild of Windrip. He was a bit of an oddball at times, and he had even sold me out to Jax the Forsaken Archer at one point. But still, Evan had been quite helpful at times, especially with information.

Probably because he worked as an informant of sorts too. And, apparently, that was why Kallistus Kal was after him.

“I arrived too late to stop the attack. I only saw the aftermath.” The Forsaken Archer shook his head. “But when I got there, I saw the [Hero King] standing over the ruins of the Adventurer’s Guild of Windrip.”

“Wait, did he slaughter everyone there?” I asked with wide eyes. I had friends in the Adventurer’s Guild— or, well… a single friend.

Justyn the [Receptionist]. He was a bit of an asshole at first, but we warmed up to each other over time.

Jax lowered his head. “No, the [Hero King] spared most of their lives. But he had Evan apprehended and taken away.”

“But why?” I blinked.

“Because Evan is the only one who could potentially know your whereabouts,” the elf said. “At least, as far as Kallistus is concerned, no one else but an [Informant] could help him.”

“I… see.” I wanted to sigh in relief.

While I felt bad for dragging Evan into this mess, I was glad to hear that he was probably still alive. After all, he wouldn’t have been killed if he was the only one who could lead the [Hero King] to me.

I looked down at the palm of my hand, before making a fist. Noele’s voice drew my attention, and I turned to face her.

“Amelia,” the Noble Spellsword said my name. “What will you do now?”

“What will I do now?” I repeated after her.

She held my gaze. “Windrip has fallen to the Kingdom of Kal, and Guildmaster Evan is in trouble. So what will you do?”

“I…”

I closed my eyes. I just wanted to live a normal life. I never wanted to be a hero— I didn’t want to deal with any of this shit caused by the [Hero King]. But sometimes there were things I had to do, even if I didn’t want to do them.

“Arthur,” I called out without even turning around.

And I heard a shuffling come from the kitchen. Jax and Noele looked past me as a figure emerged from behind the bar. I didn’t even look back as I addressed the former Lich King.

“You knew I was eavesdropping, didn’t you?” Arthur chuckled as he shook his head.

“I’ll be heading out for a day or two,” I said as I got to my feet. “And Z’s gone now, so you’re going to have a higher workload until I’m back. But just listen to Xakor, and everything will be fine, alright?”

Arthur nodded. “Right.”

And I turned to Jax. “You’re tired— rest up. Because we’re going to be leaving first thing in the morning.”

“Oh?” The elf looked at me as a smirk slipped onto his lips. “Am I finally going to see the Unranked Adventurer in action again?”

“Don’t call me that.” I gave him a flat stare as I got to my feet. I turned around and paused as I saw Noele staring at me. I shook my head. “I’m just going to do what’s right— I’m going to save Guildmaster Evan.”

The blonde girl gave me an approving look as Jax just grinned in amusement. Bucky tilted her head, and I strode past Arthur. With that declaration made, I returned to my room to prepare.

And by that, I meant I went to take a nap.

—--

Finally, Kallistus Kal had found his target. It had taken him so long, but his informants had located just who he was looking for. Evan— the Guildmaster of Windrip’s Adventurer’s Guild— had refused to crack even under brutal interrogation.

It would have been much simpler had the [Hero King] been able to use his Void powers to compel Evan to speak. Unfortunately, Kallistus had been busy hiding from the angel. But now, he had set a trap. He was confident it would work.

He shook his head as he turned away from a figure shrouded in darkness standing right in front of him.

The [Hero King] was pleased to see that the pendulum was swinging his way once again. With this trap set, and the identity of the girl he was searching for revealed, he now could spring his plans into action once again.

He had already sent some… outsourced individuals to pursue the girl. Kallistus was certain they were capable enough of apprehending her. After all, she was but a mere A-ranked adventurer.

It surprised him to learn of that. But the information lined up— she had been someone who had just recently visited both Windrip and Mount Arkais. In addition to that, she had suddenly gained a lot of notoriety recently, alongside climbing up the ranks of the Adventurer’s Guild. The only explanation was that she had been blessed by the Void, and that was how she was capable of opening those rifts.

She was his target. She was the key to unlock Kallistus Kal’s return to his home world. She was—

“Noele the Noble Spellsword,” the [Hero King] whispered her name as his lips twisted into a smile. “I will be seeing you soon enough.”