I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-52

Ch-52

—

There was something I needed to do before breaking through the soldiers and heading to the lord’s castle.

I asked the man once more.

“Is Priest Andrew at the relief shelter?”

“Ah, most likely, yes.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“N–No, not at all…! If it weren’t for you, Successor-nim, we’d all be dead. And… well…”

He was referring to the warp incident.

The man continued.

“The words you spoke for the fallen knights—they were a great comfort. Without you, Successor-nim, this city would still be drowning in sorrow.”

Five hundred knights had taken part in the grand crusade—and perished.

But their deaths were quietly buried.

Some believed they were still alive somewhere, while others cursed it as a meaningless, unnoticed dog’s death.

Had I, the self-proclaimed successor of the Knight King, not stepped forward personally to console them, it meant the city would still be shrouded in deep darkness and grief.

“It was simply something I had to do.”

“That simple something—even that, no one else did. In any case, don’t worry about the soldiers. I’ll drag them away somewhere people won’t notice.”

Bowing deeply, the man dragged the unconscious soldiers across the ground.

The disturbance that had erupted in the middle of the city—

Residents who confirmed it was me peered out their windows and silently bowed their heads.

It was a tacit agreement that this entire incident would pass unnoticed.

At the very least, the people of this land were on my side.

‘I need to find Priest Andrew first.’

But visiting the lord’s castle had never been part of the plan.

The only reason I returned to Knight’s Garden was to meet Priest Andrew.

Andarsar was important too—but something mattered even more.

‘The Platinum Box.’

A reward granted only to the person ranked number one among those who stopped the dimensional rift!

I had managed to obtain it, but I couldn’t open it myself.

‘Only an honorable priest capable of reciting the Hymn of Praise can open it.’

For some reason, only an “Honored High Priest” was able to open the Platinum Box.

And the only such priest I knew of was Andrew—barely him at that.

Because all the truly honorable priests had died during the grand crusade, and only the dishonorable ones survived.

*

*

 

On the way to the relief shelter—

Isaac wore an expression overflowing with confusion.

‘Successor? Successor of who exactly?’

He still couldn’t grasp Randolph’s identity.

At first, he had assumed Randolph was nothing more than a corpse crow.

It wasn’t just a disguise or transformation—he *was* a corpse crow, through and through.

A being who had passed through the Mythic Mystery Coffin, drawn the attention of all monsters in Cramdel, ascended to an arch-power, seized a star, and became coveted even by Star Guardians—how could such a being be human?

‘…He was human.’

His wild suspicion had betrayed him.

He was really human.

Even now, Isaac couldn’t tell whether this was a dream or reality.

He was clearly human, and Isabella beside him was also human, yet the shock of seeing him as a corpse crow had been too intense.

Then suddenly he teleports into the city of Knight’s Garden and is revered as a “successor.”

And every resident’s gaze toward him was anything but ordinary.

‘Respect. Reverence. Trust.’

Those three emotions were perfectly balanced in the eyes of the townsfolk.

‘Is he perhaps the successor of the noble who rules this city?’

No matter how he thought about it, nothing else made sense.

His curiosity was driving him insane.

He was barely holding back the urge to ask.

Knight’s Garden—

What kind of place was this?

Once renowned as the greatest “Knight Training Grounds” of the former Valan Kingdom.

Among the thirteen great cities of Valan, this was considered the finest.

To stand with such dignity in a place that had produced countless powerful knights…

Even if he were the master of the city or its successor, earning this degree of trust from people seemed improbable.

Was he simply blessed with extraordinary virtue?

“…Successor-nim. You have finally returned.”

Upon reaching the relief shelter, Priest Andrew came out to greet us.

He looked around cautiously and guided us.

“Please, come inside. There are too many eyes watching.”

“Very well.”

Confirming the group, Priest Andrew led us into a discreet room deeper inside the shelter.

Lowering his voice, he spoke.

“Hero No. 8, Maxim, is stirring up the city. If you reveal yourself now, Successor-nim, it will create complications on many fronts.”

A troublesome situation.

If I openly declared myself the successor of the Knight King, conflict with Maxim—one of the so-called Eight Heroes—would be inevitable.

It was possible Maxim already knew that the Knight King’s successor had passed through this city.

He just didn’t know that successor was me.

“I’m aware.”

“And it seems your party has grown, has it not?”

“Mm.”

When I first arrived in the city, it was only Isabella and me.

Two—but now we were four.

Strictly speaking, including Ahram, we were five—but Ahram was currently sealed in the leather bag attached to Isaac’s back.

Thus the additions numbered three.

Isaac, Ahram, and…

I slowly removed the helmet of the ducal knight trailing behind me.

“Wait. Don’t tell me—”

Priest Andrew’s eyes shook violently.

“A–Andarsar?”

He recognized the face beneath the armor.

With trembling hands, Andrew reached toward Andarsar’s face.

“Good heavens…! Andarsar…!”

Tears streamed from his eyes like a waterfall.

Her pale skin was cold as a corpse—but she was unmistakably his long-lost daughter, whom he had searched desperately for.

He had expected little, yet I had truly kept my promise.

Priest Andrew bowed deeply.

“Successor of the Knight King—thank you. Thank you. How could I possibly repay this grace…!”

“Cough! Kah—!”

At that moment, Isaac burst into a choking fit.

Perhaps this was the shock people meant when they said their breath was taken away.

Because he had just heard something unbelievable.

‘Knight King? Don’t tell me… successor of *that* Knight King, Wilhelm?’

There was only one being known as the Knight King—Wilhelm.

And to think the fifth-pillar acknowledged by the Northern White King was claiming to be the successor of the Knight King Wilhelm…

…What kind of ridiculous nonsense was this?

*

*

After holding Andarsar’s hands and face for a long while, Priest Andrew finally pulled his gaze away, still overwhelmed with emotion.

Successor of the Knight King.

He had doubted it—but if he’d personally brought Andarsar back from Cramdel, doubt was no longer possible.

Yet something still baffled him.

【Fame 724】
【Sin 27】

Priests could see a person’s honor and sins.

For his fame to rise so impossibly high in the short time he was gone to Cramdel…

Seven hundred twenty-four?

‘That surpasses the fame of most distinguished knights.’

Let alone knights—this level was rare even among the priesthood.

Even among the cardinals, few would reach such a height.

What kind of deeds must one have performed in such a short time to accumulate fame like this?

His sins had risen a bit as well, but compared to his fame, they were trivial.

“Is there anything I can assist you with?”

But he set aside all questions.

Andarsar. His daughter had been returned to him.

Even though she had been decapitated and turned into a Dullahan, and her memories seemed incomplete… as long as he never let go again, it would be fine.

“Open this for me.”

If everything was ready, there was no need to stall.

I immediately took out the Platinum Box.

The moment he saw it, Andrew’s eyes trembled like rippling water.

“T–This… isn’t this a holy relic?”

“Holy relic?”

“Holy relics appear differently depending on the viewer. B–But this is unmistakably a holy relic of the Goddess Church. And oddly… it seems sealed.”

“Can you break the seal?”

“Ordinarily, this is something only the Holy Pontiff can do, but… yes, I believe I can.”

He nodded firmly.

If the successor entrusted this to him, he had to accomplish it, even if it should have been impossible.

Not merely because of a promise.

Because the successor was a man of honor—fully deserving of respect.

“Good. A relief.”

I had worried about the possibility of failure.

So a sealed holy relic, then.

Handing him the Platinum Box, I added:

“And also, I need one more indulgence slip.”

“…A–Another indulgence?”

This would be the third.

He looked perplexed—especially since I was now asking for the *last* indulgence he possessed.

“I used one for you, and one for Andarsar.”

“I… see. Then the remaining one is for?”

“For myself.”

“But your sins aren’t high. Compared to your fame, there’s no need to use—”

I shook my head.

Priest Andrew wasn’t wrong, but…

Staring past the wall toward the lord’s castle, I said quietly:

“I believe I’ll need it very soon.”

*

*

 

A young man with short red hair—

Maxim, one of the Eight Heroes, lounged in the lord’s seat, stretching his legs and resting them arrogantly atop the desk.

“Hey, Marquis Weiser. How long do you plan to keep stalling?”

“…I will speak with Duke Cyan directly.”

The man sitting in the visitor’s chair was Marquis Weiser.

Humiliation—but unavoidable.

Maxim was the envoy sent by Duke Cyan, and personally endorsed by the Duke as his successor.

And since Weiser was the one who failed to keep his end of the bargain, he had no choice but to endure this disgrace.

“The Duke has already paid everything he owed. Do you truly not understand what happens to this domain if you break your promise?”

“Just a little more time, please—!”

“Come on. That Hudson fellow, and your sudden change in attitude… did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

“…”

“If the Duke learns of this, this entire place will be annihilated. Consider yourself lucky I’m showing restraint.”

Weiser shut his mouth.

‘As expected—he can’t say anything.’

It had been a week since Maxim reached this domain.

In that time, he had grasped the entirety of the situation.

‘That Hudson fellow definitely has strong ties to the Knight of Pure White.’

At first he had thought Hudson was just a wealthy merchant.

But seeing the look in the man’s eyes whenever he mentioned the Pure White Knight, Serengeti, Maxim became certain.

There was something between them.

And if Duke Cyan learned of this, the city would vanish from the map.

‘It would be a waste to let it be destroyed… I should take it for myself.’

So Maxim changed his plan.

He would exploit this weakness and swallow the domain himself.

He had already inherited one city through the Duke’s succession training—but it wasn’t enough.

Maxim intended to surpass the Duke and one day become king of the Valan Kingdom.

Until recently he had been nothing more than the head of a mercenary band, but such was the unpredictability of life.

‘Before the Round Table meeting begins, I’ll take this city too. Then no one will dare look down on me.’

The other heroes subtly looked down on him.

But if he controlled two cities, they would no longer dare.

He planned to secure his position at the upcoming Round Table meeting and later wield great influence on Earth as well.

Just imagining it sent chills down his spine.

The thought of pressing down the noses of those who had mocked him—

“How will you compensate me, Marquis? A day of my time is worth a million gold. Looks like today is the last day for your payment.”

With a leisurely grin, Maxim twirled a dagger in his hand before stabbing it into the desk.

For someone supposedly called a hero, he behaved exactly like a back-alley thug.

It was hard to understand how someone like this could be counted among the Eight Heroes.

But Marquis Weiser could do nothing except bite his lip and clench his fists until they shook.

Serengeti had only just begun recovering his body.

If she were fully conscious, this humiliation would never stand.

‘I should never have borrowed money from Duke Cyan.’

Weiser regretted his choice deeply.

But it was too late.

A man even more ruthless than the Duke had entered the domain.

He could either abandon the domain—or abandon Serengeti.

Those were the only options he could see.

Then—

“Gyaaah!”

“Guh—!”

“S–Save…!”

A commotion erupted outside.

The sound of soldiers collapsing like falling leaves.

Their screams filled the lord’s castle.

Maxim furrowed his brows.

“How dare… who is it?”

Whoever it was—

Someone brazen enough to barge into a place where the mighty Maxim, one of the Eight Heroes, resided.

Whoever dared disturb his mood would pay for it with their life.

Fwoosh!

As Maxim drew the dagger, sinister black flames surged over his body.

‘Well, I was bored anyway.’

But then, he changed his mind.

Life here had been unbearably dull.

Bullying Marquis Weiser had become stale after the first couple of days—now, a full week had passed.

This was perfect. Whoever caused this uproar was obviously stronger than the local knights.

‘I’ll show them the true power of the Demon Heart.’

His body, incomparably stronger than before—

He would etch that power into Weiser’s mind.

With eyes full of malice, Maxim slowly rose from his seat.

Randolph vs. Eighth Hero Maxim

—Ignore him and flee. If he learns you’re here, Successor-nim, Maxim will not sit still.

Priest Andrew had told me this.

To avoid him. That Maxim was nothing more than a passing storm.

—But… please tell me one thing. Are they truly heroes?

Perhaps in another city, people would believe it—but in Knight’s Garden, many doubted the validity of the Eight Heroes.

Especially Maxim.

If Maxim were truly one of the heroes who joined the crusade into the Demon Realm and returned with results, there was no reason for him to show hostility toward the successor of a fellow hero.

Maxim’s first act upon arriving in this city was an atrocity—

He destroyed the memorial stone.

The monument engraved with the names of the 500 knights at eternal rest.

He shattered it, ground it to dust.

And in its place, he left only the names of the Eight Heroes.

 

 

 

 

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