Chapter 5 – Delfin’s Story (1)

Chapter 5: Delfin’s Story (1)

Steel Knight. Sword of the Empire. Delfin Lionheart.

“This is driving me crazy.”

She was clutching her head again today.

It had already been a year since the grueling Demon Dragon subjugation. In that time, Delfin’s reputation had continued to rise without pause. Now she even had a new title.

Hero. The great adversary who would defeat all evil beings. A noble soul who would bring peace to the world.

According to history, only six people had been granted the name of Hero. All of them were extraordinary heroes who had accomplished tremendous feats. Great individuals worthy of the title Hero.

Her name was about to be entered in that final slot.

Some said it was an honorable thing, but Delfin felt nothing of the sort.

‘They just up and call me a Hero without even asking for my opinion.’

“Burdensome” was far from adequate to describe it.

It was difficult to bear. A name too heavy to carry forward.

Whenever she said such things, people would respond like this: Aren’t you the Steel Knight who has defeated countless evil beings? You’re even the Dragon Slayer who brought down that wicked Demon Dragon!

The Demon Dragon subjugation. Yes. That was exactly the problem. It was the reason people were excited about Delfin qualifying as a Hero. And it was also the decisive cause of her groaning and holding her head in anguish.

Delfin, including Luciel and the entire subjugation force, had testified. It was true that they had pursued the Demon Dragon and cornered it in the northern plains. But in the end, we were not the ones who brought it down.

It was an entity we had never seen before. We didn’t know exactly what it was. But one thing was certain: that being was stronger than the Demon Dragon. Just looking at it made it impossible to even think of resistance.

‘And the response I got back was a sight to behold.’

They had already announced throughout the land that the Demon Dragon had lost its life at the hands of the subjugation force. They proclaimed that the Steel Knight had achieved a great victory. This was when she herself hadn’t even reached the capital yet.

She couldn’t understand it. She asked why they had done such a thing. The answer she received made Delfin grab the back of her neck.

You may not have killed the Demon Dragon, but weren’t you planning to kill it anyway? Therefore, the conclusion was that it was fine to say the subjugation force had brought it down.

A strict order of secrecy was issued to the entire subjugation force regarding this matter. They arbitrarily concluded it by saying let’s make it so that you caught the Demon Dragon. Delfin also ultimately had no choice but to agree, albeit semi-forcibly.

“…What exactly was that thing?”

Even after a year had passed, it remained burned into her mind, unforgettable. The world dyed red and the festival of flames decorated the sky.

It was thrillingly beautiful. Intensely chilling to the bone. Though she couldn’t see it properly, she could tell just from the aura she felt.

A being one could never dare oppose. A being that meant certain death if encountered. It was on a different dimension from any of the creatures she had met before. There was no comparison.

She had also told her superiors about that being. But what came back was the absurd response of ‘Sir Delfin should be able to defeat it.’ She was so dumbfounded it made her angry, and she almost shouted.

Delfin. Luciel. The entire subjugation force. All of them had fallen to their knees. Their hearts swelled while their bodies shuddered with inexplicable fear. It wasn’t about winning or losing. Opposition itself was impossible.

“Sir Delfin.”

With a knock, the door opened and a knight entered.

“Orders to enter the palace. His Majesty the Emperor seeks you.”

To others, she might appear to be the Sword of the Empire receiving the Emperor’s favor. In reality, she was a worker who had to rush wherever something happened. With a sigh, Delfin headed straight to the imperial palace.

“I greet His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Come quickly, Sir Delfin. Shall we get straight to the point?”

At the Emperor’s gesture, the chamberlain spread a map on the table. Seeing it, Delfin’s eyebrows shot up dramatically.

“Your Majesty. This is…”

“It should look familiar. It’s a map of the north. Nosland.”

“Why are you suddenly showing this…”

“Strange rumors have been circulating recently.”

Strange rumors. The moment she heard those words, Delfin bit her lip.

The first thing that came to mind was, naturally, the red world. The burning sky. The unidentified being that had completely erased the Demon Dragon in an instant.

“Stories about a giant red bird are spreading, centered around one village.”

“A giant… red bird, you say.”

“We’re assuming it’s a monster for now, but some are viewing it differently.”

Something seemed off. Delfin tilted her head in confusion. If it was a monster, then it was a monster. There couldn’t be other opinions. Yet even the Emperor was acknowledging it by mentioning ‘some views.’

“According to rumors, that red bird saved the village and its people from bandits.”

“Really?”

“That’s what the rumors say. But it’s highly likely to be false.”

You would understand what I’m getting at. At the Emperor’s words, Delfin nodded heavily.

Rumors of some unidentified entity helping humans. Such cases occurred occasionally. Delfin and the Emperor had experienced it several times. But all of those incidents had actually been the schemes of evil beings.

They cast illusions on humans to make it seem like they had received salvation. They made people worship them and lived like spirits. Then when they grew bored, they would devour everyone in an instant and disappear.

It was cruel and utterly wicked behavior. These were worse than creatures that simply attacked people.

“The Order judges it to be an evil being born from fragments of the Demon Dragon that is deceiving the entire village.”

“You’ll be dispatching a subjugation force soon.”

“Or it might be an investigation team.”

The Emperor rummaged through something and pushed it toward Delfin. It was several reports, and the word written at the beginning was this:

“Phoenix?”

“You must have heard of it, Sir Delfin.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Isn’t it the mysterious life form that burns its own body to live eternally?”

Vicious beings like the Demon Dragon. Monsters that enjoyed slaughter from birth. Compared to them, a Phoenix would be hard to consider evil. But to say it was close to humans would also be quite ambiguous.

“I understand the last one was discovered 30 years ago in the south. Even that wasn’t official, so people were saying they had practically gone extinct…”

“It might be that a Phoenix has appeared, Sir Delfin.”

Impossible. Delfin almost reflexively denied it.

Why was a Phoenix called a Phoenix? Because it burned itself and resurrected, making it a Phoenix. That’s right. It burned. Fire was necessary. Therefore, cold was their natural enemy.

All recorded discoveries of Phoenixes were concentrated entirely in the south without exception. This was clear evidence that their habitat was restricted to the southern regions.

“You never know. That’s why our Empire intends to dispatch an investigation team.”

The Order would dispatch a subjugation force. The Empire would dispatch an investigation team. There was a scent in the air. The scent of subtle conflict.

The Empire and the Order had been clashing since the Demon Dragon subjugation. Command authority. Responsibility. And the burden of various costs. This was separate from the good relationship between Delfin and Luciel.

This matter was probably an extension of that conflict.

The Order judged it to be a monster and was advocating for subjugation. The Empire saw the possibility of a Phoenix and was requesting investigation.

‘In the Demon Dragon subjugation, our Empire ultimately secured all command authority. Thanks to that, rumors that the Empire defeated the Demon Dragon spread the most. The Order’s name was relatively pushed to the background.’

Since we gave way last time, let the Empire concede this time. The Order had decided on subjugation by confirming it as a monster with that meaning. The Empire wasn’t agreeing with “let’s do that,” but was being obstructive.

“Sir Delfin. Please go north once more.”

“…”

“You look like you have something to say. What is it?”

“Your Majesty. Do you remember my words after the Demon Dragon subjugation a year ago?”

We were not the ones who killed the Demon Dragon. It was some unidentified being. The world turned red and flames blazed, then the Demon Dragon turned to ash. It was such a shocking report that the Emperor naturally remembered it.

“I remember. But you never said that being was a bird.”

“I might not have been able to see clearly.”

“Why would such a tremendous being help a village in the first place?”

At the Emperor’s words, Delfin shook her head.

“A year ago, the Demon Dragon was also annihilated the moment it headed toward the village.”

“That was just luck. The timing of killing the Demon Dragon, wounded by you all, just happened to coincide with it heading toward the village.”

If it were the same human, sympathy might lead to such action. But if it’s not human, there was no reason to help humans.

At the Emperor’s argument, Delfin maintained silence without saying much. Even she couldn’t be certain whether that being had truly saved the village.

‘I am curious to find out what exactly I saw that day.’

Human curiosity. Information she wanted to obtain as the Empire’s guardian. Various reasons overlapped, and Delfin ended up heading north once again.

“Welcome, Steel Knight, Sword of the Empire, Sir Delfin.”

“Is Luciel not coming?”

“The High Priest has departed on a pilgrimage to another place.”

Unfortunately, she couldn’t accompany Luciel this time. She had to go with the rigid priests of the Order. Delfin’s future already looked dark.

*

The Order seeking to raise their reputation by subjugating monsters. The Empire planning to capture it if it is confirmed to be a Phoenix.

The subtle conflict between the two groups continued throughout the journey north. From Delfin’s position, caught between them, it all honestly seemed foolish.

‘We’re not even certain if we can encounter that being.’

But fate was always mischievous, wasn’t it?

“Huh?”

Not long after entering Nosland in the northern Empire.

“Mo, monster!”

“Is it really a Phoenix?!”

The Empire and Order sides encountered the rumored red bird.

It was truly red. It was truly a giant bird. If it was a monster, it looked like a monster; if it was a Phoenix, it could also look like a Phoenix.

“It’s definitely a monster! We must deal with it immediately!”

“Wait a moment! If it’s a Phoenix, our Empire gets priority!”

“What Phoenix would be in the north! We must subjugate it immediately!”

Had it detected the commotion here? The red bird that had been watching them from afar suddenly soared into the sky.

Normally, it would have simply disappeared without incident. But unfortunately for them, the timing was bad.

Because that red bird had recently encountered a god. Because it had even gotten into an argument and was in an extremely foul mood.

――WHIIIIIIII!

A sharp cry, ominous colored flames, And the moment they beheld eyes whose depths were unknowable.

“Go, God, oh God…!”

“Aah… We, we were wrong. We were wrong…”

The priests of the Order. The investigators of the Empire.

‘I, I shouldn’t have come!’

And even Delfin.

They could do nothing. Their limbs were crushed under pressure. Life flashed before their eyes. Death was nearby.

Everyone prostrated themselves flat, holding their breath and bowing. They begged for mercy before a being they dared not oppose. Please have pity on us and withdraw.

The presence grew faint. Breathing returned to normal. Those who had barely escaped the oppressive feeling began to speak. With trembling voices and while clutching their shaking hands and feet.

“This, this isn’t just some monster. How could that be…”

“It’s definitely not a simple Phoenix but the very first of them!”

They were saying such things, but honestly, they didn’t really know. They didn’t know anything. What that being they had just faced was. But this much was certain for both the Order and the Empire.

‘If that being were to harbor hostile intentions.’

‘We need to prepare countermeasures. Good heavens. A being even worse than the Demon Dragon!’

Unknown beings always became objects of fear. Before long, both the Empire and the Order would have to rack their brains with worry about the red menace of the north.