The Fake Hero Is Too Strong-Chapter 146

Lisel tilted her head.
“Can you really catch a cold this suddenly? Serein, you ordered so much alcohol today saying you would drink until your nose was crooked. Well, you always order that much, though.”
“Don’t add that last part.
Kheung!”
“Don’t blow your nose when you don’t even have a runny nose.”
Flustered, Serein blurted out,
“Ugh, why are you unfolding that?”
“I always did this for Lord Grade…”
“When I get a lover, I’m never doing that.”
Offense chuckled and cut in.
“Then you better recover quickly. How about Lady Pheasant giving you a healing spell”
“Of course.”
Xenia held out her hand toward Serein.
But Serein shook her head.
“I can just do it myself.”
“Come on. Healing yourself is kind of pitiful. Sit still.”
“…Thanks.”
“No problem. Hey, Adin, hurry and heal her.”
Soon, a gentle golden glow settled over Serein’s body.
Now it was practically an order.
And the one forced to obey that order was the Celestial God. The laws of the world truly are terrifying.
“…? Strange. Adin, are you losing focus?”
“What’s wrong?”
“She doesn’t seem to be getting better. Maybe because I didn’t do it formally? Stingy god.”
Grumbling, Xenia grabbed Serein’s hand.
Well, that was the proper stance for bestowing healing magic.
And then.
“Ah!”
Xenia yelped in surprise and instantly let go.
Her expression twisted as she looked at me.
“It feels like she has been burned.”
“What? That bad?”
“Yes. It’s already to the point of causing serious damage to the body…”
She was right.
Whump.
Serein twisted and stumbled against Lisel.
Lisel’s face went pale as she felt the heat radiating from her.
“She is burning like magma! How could it happen so suddenly?”
“Xenia! Cast again, quickly!”
“Y-yes!”
The calm dinner table had turned into a storm.
Xenia hurriedly unleashed another healing spell.
But Serein’s condition didn’t improve in the slightest.
Unable to endure, Xenia pressed her hands together and prayed formally.
“Oh Celestial God, lend your merciful hand here…”
“Stop, Xenia.”
“But… maybe he’s just sulking and refusing to..”
“No. That’s not it. This isn’t an illness.”
I felt it instinctively.
But if not an illness… then what?
Serein’s lips were already dry.
Offense quickly pricked her fingertip, drew blood, and dropped it into a vial to shake and inspect.
“It’s not poison. At least, not by anything I know.”
“Your knowledge surpasses every assassin on the continent. If you say it’s not poison, then it’s not.”
“Still. Just in case, let’s check the local Assassin’s Guild.”
“What are you talking about? We should head to the temple first!”
“Maybe try one of her potions? Serein made them herself.”
“Everyone calm down. I will analyze it with magic. …Damn it. Nothing. No problems at all.”
Chaos erupted.
Even when we fought Adin back at the starting point, the group had remained composed.
But now, they looked as though they were watching the end of the world.
And I wasn’t much different.
‘T-Trail. Show me the secret immediately…’
[Hey. Calm down. Whose secret do you even want to see?]
“……”
[First figure out who did this to Serein. Once we have a name, I will show you their secrets as many times as you need. But keep it together.]
He was right.
As leader, I couldn’t afford to lose my head.
But my throat was already dry with panic.
And then.
“Ah… so that’s how babies are made…”
“…!”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me? Seriously.”
It was Adwin.
His face was red, but when he noticed the commotion, he rushed over.
“Serein noona, what’s wrong?”
“She suddenly developed a high fever and collapsed.”
“……”
“Adwin?”
Adwin’s face went pale.
He wasn’t looking at Serein.
He was looking above her head…
At her soul.
Then, from his lips came words none of us wanted to believe.
“Her soul… it’s fading.”
We carried Serein to an inn room.
Lisel, who had been with her the longest, stayed behind to nurse her.
Her face was so pale she almost looked sicker than Serein.
Worried that noise might worsen Serein’s condition, we gathered in another room.
Clack.
Xenia sighed heavily.
“Her soul is fading? Adwin, what’s going to happen to her now?”
Adwin started to answer, but I spoke first.
“Colds usually get better with rest.”
“Mide, this isn’t a cold.”
“I will make it a cold. Not a life-threatening crisis of the soul, but something she can shake off and recover from in a few days.”
My words carried a steel-hard resolve.
That determination spread to the others’ faces.
They all nodded at once.
Neril’s voice was icy.
“Whoever did this… whoever made Serein sick… I will kill them. Even if I have to be called the Witch of Carnage again.”
“Calm down. I already have a suspect.”
“…! Who?”
“When you think about it, the answer is obvious. Idria.”
At that, everyone flinched.
But soon their expressions showed reluctant agreement.
No ordinary human would dare to target us, heroes known across the continent.
Even if someone dared, there was no way a normal person could secretly harm Serein right under our noses.
“Idria wants to tie us down. She must know she can’t win in a battle of speed anymore.”
“If one party member is sick, we can’t focus on anything else.”
“Exactly. Offense, can you check the Assassin’s Guild? If a monster invasion has broken out elsewhere on the continent, it will prove my point.”
“On it.”
Offense vanished instantly, not wasting even a moment to run.
Less than five minutes later, he returned.
“You were right. Black smoke has appeared in the Audré territory.”
“As expected.”
“She stayed quiet for a week, then launched an invasion the moment Serein collapsed. It’s her doing.”
“Yeah.”
I answered heavily, cursing inside.
Damn it.
Of course. What did I expect from a Demon King?
If anything, this was exactly how a Demon King should act.
‘The true face of the Demon King of Lies, who uses every dirty, underhanded trick to toy with humanity.’
[Not saying you’re wrong, but check for yourself.]
‘Check what?’
[Idria’s secrets. Kaeld seemed completely shut out, so look at her secrets with the other followers.]
‘…Fine.’
I cooled my head and followed Trail’s advice.
Sobius, Pirensha, Batore, Sabach…
I looked into the secrets tied to the four fingers, but nothing new had been updated.
I was about to curse under my breath, when at the last moment, a thought struck me.
‘Let’s check the secret between Velosian and Idria.’
[Huh? Based on experience, you probably can’t see it. Anything involving Velosian is always S-grade.]
‘Set the filter. The most recent one… connected to Serein’s collapse.’
[Hmm. I understand. Just a moment.]
Click.
A screen floated up.
<Error. “Secret between Idria and Velosian.” Grade: S.>
<Requires Eye of Omniscience Level 5 to access.>
Just as I thought.
I had asked specifically for the most recent secret tied to Serein’s collapse.
If there were no secret, it would have just said none
.
But right at that very moment, a secret between Idria and Velosian had been formed.
That could only mean one thing…
‘No doubt about it. The culprit is Velosian.’
[..…]
‘I don’t know if he teamed up with Idria or if this was his own scheme, but at the very least, it was Velosian who made Serein like that.’
[How on earth did he make her soul fade?]
‘That’s what I don’t know. Damn it.’
I scratched my head furiously.
It’s infuriating when even the Eye of Omniscience is blocked.
Honestly, I couldn’t even remember how I used to wander this brutal continent before I had Trail.
I took a deep breath and calmed myself.
‘Didn’t Grade say something before?’
It was back when, 1,500 years ago, he had asked Velosian to make Lisel human.
Velosian had entered the underground vault of the imperial palace and then disappeared.
I first shared all the speculations I had discussed with Trail.
Then I spoke with resolve.
“We will have to go meet Velosian.”
We bundled Serein tightly in blankets and carefully placed her into the carriage.
Then the whole carriage was set onto Agril’s back.
With a subdued voice, Lisel summoned Mime.
Mime, sensing the mood, offered no protest and simply gave Agril a mighty push.
Xenia said,
“At this pace, we will reach the capital in under two hours.”
“…Yeah.”
“Mr. Mide, are you alright?”
“Yeah. Just… turning some things over in my head.”
I let out a sigh.
“Velosian is as shrouded in mystery, just like Adin and Impelium. He even erased Neril’s Append View somehow. That much is certain, even if I’m calling it speculation.”
“Speculation? No. It’s certain.”
“Anyway, we are about to meet someone like that, and we have made no preparations at all.”
When we went to snatch Agril from Adin, at least we had a simple plan.
Back then, Adin had been weakened.
But this time, we were charging in blindly.
That kind of reckless move didn’t suit me at all.
But there was no helping it.
‘I can’t lose Serein.’
No. I can’t lose anyone.
As long as I was the leader of this party, I would not allow a single loss.
I steeled my heart.
That was when Neril spoke.
“Sleep.”
“Huh? Now? In this situation?”
“I’m not saying it to comfort you. I want you to meet Impelium in your dream.”
Ah!
Neril’s face twisted with reluctance as she added,
“Of course, there’s no guarantee you will see him just by sleeping… but we don’t have any other options. Honestly, I don’t like the idea either.”
“You’re right. That’s a good idea.”
“…”
“Though I don’t know if I can even fall asleep right now.”
Tap.
Neril took my hand.
With her other hand, she lightly formed a seal.
“I will wake you in two hours. Sleep.”
“You… you can use sleep magic…?”
I never finished the sentence before I drifted into slumber.
The last thing I heard was Offense’s voice:
“Pretty sure she doesn’t need to hold hands for that spell to work…”
I was dreaming.
Thank goodness.
I knew I was dreaming.
That meant there was only one thing to do.
“Impelium! Impelium!”
My voice echoed into the void.
I didn’t give up, and shouted again.
“Impelium, show yourself right now!”
“My ears are going to fall off.”
Huh?
Whoosh.
The scenery around me shifted.
A small, tidy room revealed itself.
A neatly polished table.
Soft curtains covering the windows.
Tea and a pretty cup placed on the table.
Just a few seconds of looking, and I already felt at ease.
“This place…?”
“My home.”
“What? And you are…?”
“You have been yelling my name nonstop, and now you ask who I am?”
A figure appeared across the table.
A man with a human face.
Black hair, just like mine, and a gentle expression.
Impelium? That’s him?
I forced my pounding heart to settle as I spoke.
“So now you speak aloud. Before, it was always just a voice in my head.”
“And that’s what you comment on first? Seeing my face should be more surprising.”
“I like to save the best for last.”
“Same as me.”
He chuckled softly and took a sip of tea.
I asked,
“Why show yourself now? Why speak aloud?”
“…”
“Where is this? And who exactly are you?”
“One question at a time.”
Click.
He set down the teacup.
“Your fame has skyrocketed lately, hasn’t it?”
“It has.”
“That’s the reason.”
“…? That’s a vague explanation.”
“There’s nothing more I can tell you. If you want more, raise your fame further. At least enough to see S-grade secrets.”
I gave a dry laugh.
“At least, huh? That’s the end of the road.”
“Who said that?”
“…!”
“The world’s secrets are broader and deeper than you think. But let’s leave it at that.”
Rustle.
Impelium crossed his legs.
“So, why did you come looking for me?”
“You already know, but I will say it anyway. I’m going to meet Velosian.”
“You must not.”
“And when I meet him…. wait, what?”
“No. I cannot approve of such a thing.”
His voice was pleasant to the ear, yet firm and absolute.
“If you meet Velosian now, you will surely fail. You and your companions won’t even understand what struck you before you’re wiped out.”
“We fought the Celestial God evenly, though.”
“That was only because he was weakened.”
“Even after he recovered, we landed a blow, thanks to your advice.”
“If you insist on being stubborn, then I will have to say this much.”
His tone soured as he continued.
“Velosian is far stronger than the likes of Adin.”
“…What? The likes of Adin?”
“Velosian was my greatest rival, the one who drove me to my death. Well, Adin had a hand in it too, but still.”
He added grimly,
“You haven’t even drawn out your true strength. You only use scraps of it in dire moments.”
“…!”
“Until you can wield that power constantly, you must not face Velosian.”
My mind flashed back to Atrium, and to the mysterious force I had unleashed against the Celestial God.
I took a few steadying breaths, then asked carefully,
“How can I use that power?”
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