In the afternoon, when it was supposed to be calm, we received news that a very powerful monster had appeared.
There have already been a number of casualties, and it seems that they are doing their best to keep it from approaching the town, however they have no hope in actually killing it.
The reason why I, the youngest prince of the lineage of heroes, have not been called even in such an emergency is because I am the only breeding horse left in the kingdom, and the kingdom absolutely cannot afford to lose me in combat.
Since more powerful demons appear in Braidea kingdom than in other countries, we have taken certain countermeasures, but there are always exceptions to the rule. If you carelessly break a monument in an unexplored area, a monster that is exceedingly strong, known as "Keystone beasts," may appear, and this case seems to fall under that category.
"I don't have time to inform His Majesty. The number of bodies is increasing even as we speak. I'm leaving." I grabbed my beloved sword, Wing blade, and riding on horseback, I rushed to the scene.
The powerful monster was an iron golem, a magical giant made of iron.
If struck by such a lump of iron, a human body would be as good as scrap paper, even if it were clad in armor. To keep the monster away from the town, a group of armed men were boldly taking a stand against it.
It was a pioneer unit under the direct control of the king. The site was strewn with reddish-black stains and chunks of what had once been human beings in various places. The smell of rusty iron filled the air, the scene was extremely gruesome. Despite the situation, many onlookers from the town rushed to the site to catch a glimpse of the rumored rare monster. "Is that the monster we've heard so much about? It's huge!"
"Is that a dead body? That's disgusting..."
Even though it's a reasonable distance away, it's not an absolutely safe place.
"Scatter! This is a battlefield! Do you want to die!?"
I yell and they scatter like spiderlings.
"Wow! The stupid prince is shouting something!" "We have to run away quickly. He's a breeding horse that has impregnated dozens of people, right? You'll get pregnant just by hearing his voice!"
Despite rushing over in a hurry, I received such comments.
After that, I call out to a man who seems to be the captain.
"I'll take care of the rest, have your men retreat."
"Oh! Lord Eucharlouch!! You've come! However, your body is the greatest treasure of the country...! We can't afford to lose it by any chance...!" "Didn't you hear me? You don't have to worry about me, just have them retreat." The captain gives the order to retreat at my words, which are met with a look of disbelief. Suddenly losing its prey, the giant golem looks around and focuses on me.
The only prey it sees is me. Without hesitation, the giant golem decided on me as its target and headed straight for me.
*Boom*
The moment it got within range, I slashed one of its legs off. The hero's secret technique Brave Arts "Slicing Iron". It's literally a technique that cuts through iron.
This is also a technique that was not developed by the bloodline of heroes but was used by samurai and passed down from generation to generation as a secret. It is classified as a blade art. It is not necessary to be a member of a brave bloodline to use it, anyone can use it depending on training. However, the training is not so easy.
As one might expect, the swordsmen of the East have the edge in swordsmanship because they do not rely on magic. They are aliens who handle swords as if they were magic. Anyway, the Giant Golem, which had one of its legs cut off, was unable to support its huge frame, and at this point, it was unable to even stand up under its own weight.
It seemed like all it could do was continue to struggle on the spot. In the same way, I used "Slicing Iron" to cut off its other leg, then both arms, and finally decapitated it.
Even so, the fact that the parts that were cut off continues to move slightly is proof that the magic power is still flowing through it. So, in the end, I cut the torso containing the core, which is probably the source of the magical power, into pieces and sheathed my sword. At last, the giant iron golem turned into a mere lump of iron. "It's over. Please use the iron scraps as materials."
We obtained a large amount of iron that did not need to be (deliberately) refined. This was another valuable outcome of this pioneering mission. Unfortunately, it came at a heavy price.
"He could kill such a monster so easily...!" "Hey, isn't he a stupid prince who indulges in debauchery..." "Even if he is rotten, he's still a blood relative of the hero. I've never seen such an amazing swordsman before...!" "People say he’s a stupid prince, but isn’t it wonderful that he’s so strong and beautiful?"
"Amazing, I might want to have...his baby!"
"Long live the hero!! Long live Eucharlouch!!"
The bastard onlookers who had gathered at the start, switched their attitudes and start to say whatever they wanted.
If the scales of bad luck had tipped even slightly in my favor, I would have joined the ranks of those lumps of meat, but there is not a shred of tension in the air. Meanwhile, the captain calls out to me again. "As expected of the hero's bloodline. Your sword skills are amazing! Come on, come this way. We're all looking forward to the hero's triumphant return." "I'm not the hero." "What do you mean?"
"The real heroes were those who bravely stood up to the monster, even though they were out of their depth, so the town wouldn't get damaged, not me who came along later."
"But I cannot face His Majesty unless I reward you accordingly for your great achievements. If you had not come, there is no telling how much damage would have been done." "If I am to be credited with any achievement, the reward should be distributed among those who participated in this pioneering work and their bereaved families."
"Wow! You're such a greedless person. Honestly, I admire you. You're an amazing person with incredible sword skills, worthy of being a member of the bloodline of a hero. Rumors are really unreliable." "I'm not that kind of an honorable person. However, I'm sure His Majesty would do the same, so I'll just follow his example. I don't need the money enough that I wouldn't survive without it." The onlookers were a hindrance to future work, so I threatened them with the authority of the royal family that they would be punished for just being here and forced them to go home. They had no choice but to go home, complaining the whole time.
I was the key figure in this victory, and their plans to get close to me had been dashed. Afterwards, I helped to collect the bodies of all the victims together with those who had rushed to the scene. I wanted to at least pay my respects to those who had served their country and perished. That was all I could think of at the time.
"Prince you don't have to do this. We will take care of the rest." "I'm helping you because I want to. If it's not too much trouble, do you mind if I continue?" "No, of course, that would be great." I can hear them whispering about my attitude.
"I heard he was an idiot prince, but he's very different from the rumors." "Ah. I've never seen the royal family willing to do such dirty work." "I wonder why such a great person isn't a candidate for the next king."
There seems to be a huge discrepancy between the rumor that I'm an idiot prince and my current actions, so they rate me too highly.
It would be easier if I were perceived as a reckless and debauched prince.
At the very least, I want to return them to their families as soon as possible.
The hearts of those working were united, and the task was completed smoothly
Everyone was covered in blood, but not a single person had a displeased expression on their face.
"I'm sorry, but I have to leave now. I can't help you with the funeral, but please give those brave men and women who died for their country a decent burial." "Thank you very much. I think they are happy that Lord Eucharlouch cared about them in the end." "I hope so."
After a brief greeting, I chose a deserted path and headed for the royal castle.
Fortunately, there were no casualties among civilians, but the damage to the pioneering unit was severe.
While material losses can be accepted, human casualties are a different matter altogether
It's hard for people to have even a single child, yet so many were killed today.
As I was walking thinking about this, Iona spotted me and came running towards me. "Charles!" "Hey, Iona. I just got back."
"Are you covered in blood? You need to change your clothes right away!"
"Don't worry, it's not my blood, it's the blood of warriors who were much braver than me."
"I've heard about it, but I'm really glad you're safe."
"There's no way I'm going to die leaving behind such a lovely Iona. I haven't even seen the face of my unborn child yet."
Saying that, I shifted my gaze to Iona's stomach.
"Oh! I know Charles's skills, but I can't help what I worry about, you know?" "Well, don't say that. The situation was critical."
There is no doubt that the longer my arrival was delayed, the more people would have died. That's why the threat of that giant iron golem was beyond standard. "According to the story, it was defeated easily. Did you use one of the Brave Arts?"
"Well, yes."
"I don't mean to be impertinent, but I would have loved to see Charles's Brave Arts." "No, it's a good thing you didn't come." "What do you mean?"
"You can tell by looking at me. The situation at the scene was pretty bad. Seeing something like that isn't good for our unborn child." That's how my monster subjugation ended. This world is cruel. It is extremely difficult for humans to live in this world. The future of this country is supported by the sacrifices of those who open up the world. We must never forget that.
Chapter length 4064 characters.
Note: Huh, well Iona is mentioned here but no Makishia. So, this could possibly be placed between volume 1-2. However, the timeline has it placed here, and this event is mentioned in volume 4.
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