Divine Kingship

Chapter 640 The Birth of a Hero?
In the new Holy City, seven knight commanders have disappeared, but so far this has not caused much of a stir.

The Grand Knight Commander stepped forward and said that these Knight Commanders had to complete some "special missions".

And everyone can basically guess what these knight commanders are up to: they want to hide the wealth they've accumulated over the years.

Although some perceptive clergy have sensed something is amiss, they have only harbored suspicions and have not yet taken any action.

Moreover, this suspicion is only that the Knight Commanders want to abandon them and run away, or that the Knight Commanders want to sell the new Holy City to the Crimson King.

Or perhaps the Grand Knight Commander was also involved in some conspiracy.

But no one suspected that the Grand Knight Commander was the mole; it would take some wild imagination to guess that.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the people of the Holy Domain also made some arrangements in the city.

They need to take control of everything in the new holy city before Karin arrives, otherwise, if these people escape or fight back desperately, it will weaken their ability to fight the plague later.

In short, the new Holy City is now rife with both overt and covert currents.

……

Half a month later, some countries in the south found what appeared to be a lifeline.

Brave.

They had previously disbelieved Rand's warnings and refused to accept his advice, and now they were afflicted by the plague.

Although it hasn't reached the point of annihilation yet, it has already caused many nobles considerable financial pain and made them feel troubled.

But since the situation was far from being catastrophic, they were unwilling to immediately swallow their pride and ask Rand for help.

Moreover, they didn't think Rand could offer them much help, after all, the Moon Kingdom was a vast distance away from their country.

Fortunately, they found a way to solve the problem without paying a price.

That is the hero.

Legends of heroes have been recorded in the histories of many countries.

When the world faces peril, there will always be heroes who save humanity.

In fact, many countries don't really believe in the story of the hero; they just consider it a historical coincidence or a story fabricated by some bards.

Lysa and Rand said that heroes are just ordinary people who are a little luckier and more talented, and they may not be able to solve the calamity. But these countries are not so clear about those ancient things.

But now, when faced with a terrible calamity, they have discovered the existence of what appears to be a hero.

This made them believe that heroes really existed and would solve their crises.

They weren't foolishly placing all their hopes on a suspected hero; it was simply that if a hero were to actually emerge, it would be the most profitable thing for them.

If they were to solve the problem themselves, it would require a huge amount of money and food, to mobilize an army, establish quarantine zones, and fight against the undead army. Such losses would be even greater than those in a war between nations.

After all, there is still room for maneuver in wars between humans, but there is no room for plagues and the undead.

But what if we ask for Rand's help, and Rand actually comes?

Putting aside whether Rand can actually solve the problem, the loss of face and the subsequent price Rand will have to pay are unbearable.

But the brave are different.

The hero is not someone who represents national interests; the hero is merely a fighting force. If the hero can solve this problem, the several severely affected countries are not at all concerned about offering rewards, whether it be a noble status, gold and silver treasures, or even marrying a princess to him.

These costs are considerable, but they are negligible compared to the first two. Moreover, doing so will also befriend the hero, which is equivalent to gaining an exaggeratedly strong single combat power.

In short, you're guaranteed to make a profit.

Therefore, these southern countries were delighted when a potential hero appeared.

The hero they saw as a potential hero was, of course, Luca.

Luca accepts Rand's mission to conduct an investigation in the southern region.

They also occasionally help villages or towns that are in dire straits.

The members of Luca's adventurer party were all quite talented, and Luca himself gradually became one of the strongest among the top-tier warriors through battles.

Furthermore, Rand used his wealth to equip them with a full set of magical gear, which further boosted their combat power.

Even if Alex, the second prince of the Kingdom of Bolen, the top-tier hero who was instantly killed by Berlan, were to be resurrected, he might not be able to defeat Luca now.

Such combat power seems to suggest that he is wandering in dangerous areas without seeking anything in return, and is also happy to help others, which is somewhat like the image of a hero.

……

Luca killed a zombie with his glowing magic greatsword, then shot a blade of light from the greatsword, annihilating a ghost in the distance.

The teammates also took action, destroying the undead army that surrounded them.

“The enemies here should all be dealt with, you can come out now.” Luca glanced sideways at the cellar of the house in front of him.

There was no movement.

Helpless, Luca walked to the cellar and opened the cellar cover that had been concealed.

When the sunlight shone on the small children in the cellar, they shielded their eyes with their hands; they were no longer used to the sunlight.

After a while, they were finally able to open their eyes completely, staring at Luca's face in fear.

"Come out, come out, we're not bad people." Luca was puzzled as to why the child was afraid of humans.

He turned to look at the half-elf mage in the group: "Am I scary?"

The half-elf shook his head: "No, you are very handsome."

Luca looked a little embarrassed and looked at the children again: "Don't worry, we won't hurt you."

The children, who seemed somewhat shaken, finally believed in Luca's goodwill. After all, they had realized that now that they had been discovered, even if they didn't come out, Luca could easily drag them out.

"How was your village destroyed? This should be considered a relatively inland area, so theoretically there shouldn't be any undead armies here. But as for the plague, we haven't seen any infections here either," Luca said to himself as he questioned the child.

These are a few teenagers. They don't seem to have been underground for very long, as they are not too dirty or smelly, or malnourished.

"Yes, yes..." The child was about to speak when the sound of horses' hooves came from afar.

Luca turned around and saw the nobles' army.

During this time, they investigated the area, fought against the plague and monsters, and earned a good reputation in the local area.

They also had a good reputation among the nobility.

This is naturally because they don't charge money.

His Majesty Rand has already paid all the fees, so they will only complete His Majesty Rand's tasks and will not seek to earn extra money from local nobles along the way.

The noble knight dismounted and nodded to Luca and the others: "Warriors, our lord invites you to his residence for a chat."

Luca nodded, indicating that he was ready to leave at any time.

Luca and his team came out to investigate, and they needed some information from a nobleman's perspective to help them with their analysis.

As for what the nobles need them to do, or what deals they want to make, they will hand them over to the staff assigned to them by His Majesty Rand. They will not waste time on matters concerning the nobles. These staff members will also disguise their identities to avoid exposing the identities of His Majesty Rand's subordinates, which could lead to hostility and non-cooperation from the nobles.

“I’ve also rescued a few children here. Could you help take care of them? They probably have nowhere else to go,” Luca said with a smile.

The leading knight's expression shifted slightly, and he smiled, indicating that he would take good care of the situation.

When Luca turned around, he noticed the child's terrified expression.

Luca frowned slightly; he seemed to know what was going on.

However, he still needed information about the local nobles, so he couldn't afford to turn against them for the time being. He gave his adventurer companion a wink, then nodded and set off for the nobles' mansion.

The members of the Sunburst Adventurer Team quickly arrived at the nobleman's residence.

This residence is even more luxurious than the upper-level sacred domain and His Majesty Rand's palace.

The nobles are holding a banquet.

When Luca and his party arrived, the nobleman, clearly a lord, wearing a golden crown, proudly announced to everyone at the banquet: "This is Mr. Luca. He has solved many crises for us. We believe that he may be the hero of today."

The nobleman then looked at Luca and asked, "Are you a hero?"

At this moment, Luca was completely clueless; he had no idea what a hero was.

Rand had some suspicions about Luca's identity, but he didn't pin his hopes on the so-called hero, so he didn't put any pressure on Luca and just arranged his work normally.

But the nobles had already pinned their hopes on this man who might be a hero.

Luca defeated the mountain of undead flesh (it was indeed quite tall, but in reality, a normal team of mages could easily defeat it).

Luca killed the Death Knight in the Evil Castle (the Death Knight was an elite level, so it was a piece of cake).

Luca rescued the princess from the dragon's jaws (the dragon was an unknown earth dragon, which was the princess's mount. The princess had gone out to play on it, and since she was a fat pig, Luca almost got entangled in it, but luckily he ran fast).

The lord was not surprised that Luca didn't know what a hero was; on the contrary, he was pleased.

This is because it implies that Luca's status is low enough, and such people will idolize nobles. If Luca is indeed a hero and resolves the crisis, he will be easier to control in the future.

The lord quickly explained the situation to Luca.

Luca could only laugh awkwardly. What the hell was this "hero"? They were just adventurers. Did these nobles want him to be a hero so they could fight some kind of monster for free?

Luca has seen many of the Sanctuary's image crystals.

I've seen movies and TV shows where heroes fight dragons and vampires, and it seems that the heroes in those movies don't actually get paid; usually, the kings or nobles give them benefits afterward.

But Luca isn't a hero; he still needs to save money for his retirement.

Luca was willing to take advantage of His Majesty Rand's offer of a free meal. His Majesty Rand had healed their companions for free and later gifted them restaurant land. Luca was willing to fight for Rand.

But these nobles were not qualified.

Luca didn't turn around and leave because he still wanted to extract some information.

Luca could only put on a "suitable" expression and then attend the nobleman's banquet.

Luca's adventurer companions were missing one of their own, while the others ate on the edge of the banquet.

……

After the banquet ended, Luca reluctantly reunited with his adventurer party teammates: "Do you have any intelligence over there?"

The dwarf, dressed as a thief, hands a letter to Luca.

"I've read the contents; someone actually wants to join the Calamity Cult."

Luca scratched his head. He thought it was already absurd that someone would expect him, an adventurer, to solve the current disaster as a hero.

I never expected there would be something even more outrageous.

“What about the other children?” Luca asked.

"I'm watching."

On the other side, a man dressed as a knight cornered several children.

The knight sighed, "Don't blame me, it's your fault for knowing too much."

The knight drew his sword from his waist, the blade reflecting a cold light.

The children were shivering.

The sword flashed, but remained still.

The blade was blocked by a metallic arm.

He is a monk in the Sunrise Adventurer's Party, and his special trait is a metallic body.

"I'm sorry, but killing children indiscriminately is far too contrary to the so-called virtues of a knight, isn't it?"

……

Soon, Luca arrived in front of the children he had rescued.

A knight-like figure fell beside them.

The bald, metal-clad monk, who was protecting the children, said to Luca, "It's obvious they want to kill us to cover their tracks."

Luca sneered.

“I had already guessed it. I thought they were just forced to kill people because of the large-scale plague in the village. Although it was despicable, it was still within the realm of logic.”

"But what the hell is going on now? On one hand, they're touting me as a hero and sending me to fight the Scourge Order to the death, while on the other hand, they're secretly colluding with the Scourge Order. Is this hedging their bets? Or are they two separate groups?"

Luca couldn't tell.

"Let Lord Rand decide; our mission is complete," said the human archer in the group.

Luca nodded.

“It seems some noble knights are coming. Let’s fight our way out.” Luca unsheathed the greatsword from his back.

The dwarves in the group removed some of their equipment, put on hoods, and mingled among the children, acting as protectors.

Although dwarfs are short in stature, they are very strong, and most people would not mistake them for children.

However, if the children are all wearing hoods in a dark environment, it can be difficult to distinguish them.

Soon, in the darkness, knights carrying torches surrounded them.

Luca smiled and said, "Gentlemen, how about you let us go? I am a hero. Aren't you afraid that if you beat me up, you'll become the villains in the story?"

The lord arrived at this moment, his face grim as he stared intently at Luca's features: "I was originally planning to marry my daughter to you, but it seems you're being disrespectful."

"Hahaha." Luca's greatsword began to gleam with a moonlight-like light. "Then come forth, you traitors of humanity."

(End of this chapter)