The Hero Who Wasn't:Lord of Kingdoms

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Crossing the Swamp and the Miracle's Snore

He entered the swamp once more. The fog was still thick, the whispers still dancing through the air—yet now they seemed like mournful chants for their fallen commander. He advanced cautiously, every sense heightened.

He neared the place where they'd fought their first battle. There lay the frozen corpses of the Swamp Stalkers—proof of Selene's power. Then he saw the unbelievable sight.

The massive alpha beast was still there, floating calmly in the shallow waters, its huge chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. It was snoring—a soft snore like distant thunder.

Robert paused for a moment, staring at this silent miracle. This was Lord Arion's power—a power that did not merely kill, but soothed. A power that could force even the greatest beasts to sleep like children. Awe washed over him. "My Lord, even in your absence, your strength protects us."

He silently slipped past the sleeping beast and continued on. He encountered a few smaller stalkers that hadn't joined the first battle. Robert was in no shape for drawn-out fighting—he was exhausted and carrying two people. But he wasn't weak.

When one of the beasts leapt at him, he didn't dodge. He gently lowered Leo and Selene for a moment and faced the attack head-on. He activated his Shock Shield, sending the beast stumbling back, stunned. Before it could recover, Robert's heavy blade fell, cutting down the threat—and the beast with it.

It was a quick, brutal, efficient fight. Not a flashy duel—just an A-rank knight fighting to survive.

---

An Endless Night and an Unfailing Memory

Night draped its black cloak over the swamp. Robert's body pleaded for him to stop and rest. His stamina was draining fast. But he resisted. He did not sleep. He did not rest. He kept moving. Whenever exhaustion threatened to swallow him, he remembered Arion's calm face as he faced death. "He risked his life for us. I won't fail him. I'll get them to safety."

As he pushed through the jagged valley in the dark, guided only by the faint moonlight, he realized something strange: he remembered the path. Every step, every turn, every rock safe enough to place a foot on—he recalled the exact route they'd taken with Arion, with startling clarity, as if an invisible map had been carved into his mind.

"How… how do I remember all this?" he wondered briefly. "Is this, too, the lingering effect of Lord Arion's power? Did he bless my memory so I could finish the mission?"

He didn't dwell on the question long. He had to keep moving. He nearly collapsed countless times. He nearly died from exhaustion. But each time he was about to fall, his commander's image flickered in his mind, lending him one more spark of strength.

As the first rays of dawn broke, he saw something on the horizon—something warm and familiar.

The walls of Arcadia City.

He had done it.

---

The Return and the Final Report

With the last drop of his strength, Robert stumbled within sight of the main gate and collapsed to the ground, still holding tightly onto his comrades.

Minutes later, the morning scout team spotted him.

"Gods! It's Sir Robert! And he has Leo and Selene! They're injured!"

Guards and medics rushed to them. They were brought swiftly into the city and taken straight to the clinic where Lina, Elian's assistant, worked tirelessly. News of the expedition's return without its commander spread like wildfire through the guild's halls.

When Robert awoke, he was in a clean bed, his wounds bandaged. Lina had treated him as best she could. Valerius sat beside the bed, his face dark as a brewing storm.

"Robert," Valerius said in a quiet, chilling voice. "I want a report. Everything. In detail."

With a voice heavy with grief and respect, Robert told Valerius everything—about their cautious entry, Arion's sudden, strange order to withdraw, the terrifying voice, the crushing presence that broke them all, Leo and Selene's collapse, and finally, the last command he received from his commander.

"He said… 'Take… them…'." Robert said, tears threatening to break through for the first time in years. "He stood there to buy us time to run. Then… the entrance caved in."

Valerius fell silent, his old eyes staring into the void. He was processing the implications. A mysterious entity… a presence so strong it paralyzed an entire A-rank team? This was no stray monster. This was a threat to the kingdom—if not the entire world. And the only person who sensed it before it was too late, the only one who might understand it… was now swallowed by darkness.

Valerius closed his eyes. It wasn't only grief he felt—it was the weight of responsibility, and the cold dread of a threat now at his city's doorstep.

"Robert," he said at last, his voice carrying new gravity. "Rest now. We'll need your strength soon. Very soon."

---

Chapter 2: The Lazy Genius and the Empire's Choice

In the quiet clinic, silence was heavier than any scream. Valerius listened to Robert's grim report, each word a drop of black ink staining a white page. When the knight finished, the guild master said nothing, but his mind burned.

"Am I going to lose someone this valuable to the city so easily?" Valerius thought bitterly. "Haaah, damn it! I'll have to go myself this time, won't I?"

He sighed deeply, feeling the weight of age on his shoulders. "When was the last time I took on a mission myself? Ah… yes, almost ten years ago! My body's old and battered. Damn it, do I just abandon Arion?"

In his understanding, Arion's death was far more likely than his survival. "But what will I tell Robert and the others if I don't even try? Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

In his despair and grumbling, a faint light flared in his eyes.

> [Skill Activated: Genius (S)]

The feelings of laziness and frustration vanished, replaced by cold, sharp focus. He rose from his chair. "Robert, rest. I'll handle this."

He went straight to his lavish office and spread a map of the region before him. He stared at the marked "Abandoned Dwarf Mine," piecing together what he'd extracted from Robert's account.

"First: an unknown monster capable of subduing three A-rank knights with its mere presence. Second: it can speak human language, implying high intelligence. Third: its confidence, calling an A-rank team 'small rats,' means its power is far beyond theirs."

His genius mind clicked into motion. "There are only two possibilities. First: Robert and the others simply weren't strong enough to endure a fear-based ability from an S-rank beast. Second—and more terrifying—that the beast truly subdued them with its presence alone, without any skill, which means it's an Emperor or Vice-Emperor class entity. To confirm which one it is, I must…"

Before he could finish, his office door swung open without a knock. A woman in her thirties entered, stunningly beautiful with a perfectly proportioned figure. Her fiery red hair glowed like flame, and her ruby eyes sparkled. She entered wearing a confident smile.

"Relax, dear," she said warmly and playfully. "It's not so serious, is it?"

Valerius looked at her sternly, his sharp demeanor fading. "I'm afraid, dear Kalia, this is far more serious than expected."

"Hmm, you're not acting like yourself, dear," Kalia replied as she stepped closer. "So, what's so worrying about this? Sure, it's rare for A-rank knights to fall like this, but they're still just A-rank. They're nothing compared to you or me, dear!"

Valerius wished her words were true. "Well, my dear, first we must confirm the enemy's strength, right?"

Kalia's eyes flickered as she immediately understood what he meant. She sighed with a smile. "Alright, I expected this. I've already summoned Robert. I'll see the truth of this beast for myself."

Moments later, Robert entered the office—still weary, but standing at attention.

"Relax, boy," Kalia said with a charming smile. "I'm just going to borrow some of your memories for a moment."

Before Robert could respond, Kalia raised her hand. Complex magical symbols glowed in the air around her. She gently placed two fingers on Robert's forehead.

"Watch with me, dear."

She closed her eyes—and suddenly they turned ghostly white, shining with a pale, spectral light.

The scene was terrifying. It wasn't just a vision—it was "reliving." Valerius and Kalia felt the same crushing pressure Robert had felt. They heard the demonic whisper in their minds. They tasted the utter terror and despair.

Sweat poured from Kalia's brow. Her body trembled involuntarily. That confirmed it for Valerius. He pulled his wife away, breaking the spell.

Kalia gasped, collapsing onto a nearby chair. "The pressure… it was entirely real. Not an illusion or fear skill. It was… the weight of its existence. Heavy… and suffocating."

Valerius shut his eyes. "Then the second possibility is true. It's either an Emperor or a Vice-Emperor."

In this world, except for humans, every civilized race had only one king. But monsters—wild, speechless creatures—had a rare exception: the strongest among them could gain intelligence and speech, becoming kings or vice-kings of their kind.

"A talking monster… in an abandoned ghoul mine…" Valerius muttered. "No doubt about it. It's the Ghoul Emperor."

Two truths struck him like lightning.

First: this opponent was a SS+ or even SSS threat if it was a full Emperor—not just a vice. Either way, its power was monstrous.

Second—and more dangerous: the presence of a Ghoul Emperor in this mine meant the ghouls had returned and infiltrated imperial territory. This mine was supposed to have been cleared centuries ago. This wasn't just a threat in one mine—it meant any ancient cave or mine could now be a ready base for a full-scale assault on the Empire.

Valerius remembered his past. Twenty years ago, he'd fought a Vice-Emperor of the Armored Lizard Beasts. Back then, he'd been at his peak—and even then… "I barely lasted less than ten minutes before it turned against me. Seven minutes and fifty-seven seconds… then I had to flee for my life."

This new Emperor might be stronger.

"We must alert the capital!" Valerius ordered firmly. He immediately sent a messenger on the fastest horse, with an encrypted letter to the Human Emperor explaining the dire situation.

But he knew the truth. It would take at least a month—maybe more—for the messenger to reach the capital and return with military support.

A month.

And there was no way Arion—trapped in that beast's lair—could survive that long.

Valerius stood before the map, facing the hardest choice he'd faced in decades.

Option one: go himself now. An almost suicidal rescue mission, with a tiny chance of surviving and bringing Arion back.

Option two: wait for imperial reinforcements—and sacrifice the hero who might be the city's, even the kingdom's, greatest hope for the future.

He stared at the map, at the mark for that cursed mine. To him, it looked like a grave. Arion's grave—or maybe his own.

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