The Fake Hero Is Too Strong

Chapter 194

Adwin had been right.

Aktion wasn’t dead.

Let’s go back a few minutes.

Batore’s body had been destroyed, but Aktion’s soul was still being punished with the curse called “Repayment of Sin.”

‘Cough… how many times has it been now?’

His soul would almost vanish, then come back to life again.

After thinking for a moment, he remembered, it had happened twenty-nine times already.

It wasn’t even right to say it started when he thought about the number of his sins.

He waited quietly for the thirtieth round of pain.

But no matter how long he waited, the next wave of pain didn’t come. ‘It’s over. My power is back.’

He felt relieved.

But there was still a big problem.

Mide had escaped with Idria and her followers.

They would start working together now.

That plan would make Mide’s fame skyrocket.

“Yes. Just like Impelium in his prime.”

If Mide could use his power as well as Impelium once did, things would get messy.

He had to stop them before they began their operation.

But right now, trapped outside the special room, that was impossible.

‘More than anything, I don’t even have a body.’

Finding a body that could hold Aktion’s soul was not an easy task.

Before he could find such a body, the laws of the world would drag him down to the underworld.

And once he was there, he wouldn’t be able to return without Velosian’s help.

‘And that Velosian is asleep… damn it.’

For the first time in ages, Aktion felt nervous.

Then suddenly, an idea came to him.

‘Wait… a body.’

There was one here in the special room.

Aktion’s soul drifted through the air and flew toward it.

He stopped above a man who was lying unconscious.

Without a hint of hesitation, just like he had done for fifty thousand years, Aktion entered the man’s body.

The body of Kaeld Wake.

That night,

When I opened my eyes, I heard Impelium’s voice.

“You have done well.”

I rubbed my eyes and looked around.

This wasn’t Impelium’s usual room, nor the dining hall where I had tasted his amazing food.

It was a large garden.

Several tables were neatly arranged, covered with dishes, huge roasted turkeys, soft bread, and colorful vegetable dishes.

“If you need more, just let me know anytime!”

I turned toward the cheerful voice and saw Serad moving around the tables with a bright smile.

Then, right on cue, Xenia called out,

“I need more!”

“Ah… but I just refilled that table five minutes ago.”

“It was three minutes ago.”

“Right. Of course.”

Serad smiled awkwardly and clapped her hands.

The servants who had been moving around came closer, listened to her orders, and disappeared, probably to bring more food.

I looked around again.

Neril was sitting at one of the tables, calmly enjoying tea and snacks.

When our eyes met, she mouthed something.

‘You were sleeping so soundly, so I started without you.’

I replied silently with my lips.

– Didn’t think Impelium would actually throw a party. I will talk with him for a bit, so enjoy yourself.

– Okay.

I turned to look around again.

Instead of joining the party, Lisel was following Serad everywhere, scribbling furiously in a notebook.

Was she learning recipes?

Serein and Offense were sitting together, whispering about something.

When I listened more closely, their talk was pointless.

“How much do you think I should sell this roast duck for?”

“Why are you even thinking about that?”

“I just thought, who says I can only run a potion business? Xenia was considering leaving the Holy Knights of Light to start a restaurant, remember?”

“So, more money’s always better, huh?”

“Exactly! You are finally getting it.”

Not far away, Trail was carrying Adwin on his shoulders.

“Hahaha! So high up! Humans look like ants from here!”

“Adwin, why do you sound drunk after drinking juice?”

“Speak comfortably, my friend. You are now among my chosen companions.”

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

I leaned back in my chair.

Then Impelium, who had been waiting patiently, spoke.

“Feeling at ease now?”

“What do you mean?”

“The first thing you did when you woke up was check where your party members were. Now that you see them having fun, you’re relieved.”

“You really know me too well.”

“I used to be the same, once.”

He poured a glass of wine and handed it to me.

It wasn’t the kind of drink I liked, but I took it and clinked glasses lightly.

After a sip, Impelium spoke again.

“Of course, I never got any reward for caring about my party. Guess that’s my fault.”

“Adin was trash, and Aktion… he said he planned to betray you even before joining your party. So stop blaming yourself.”

“…”

“At least one person was truly on your side, though.”

“Yeah. Without Serad, I would have fallen apart long ago. She is my wife, but also my savior.”

“She probably feels the same way.”

Impelium smiled softly.

“Looks like I have gotten old, when I’m being comforted by my junior.”

“Well, you are ten thousand years old.”

“Heh.”

“Can you tell me everything now? I have also used the ‘Complete Eye of Omniscience’ before, remember.”

“What do you want to know?”

Good question.

What did I want to know most?

Many thoughts passed through my mind, but one question stood out first.

“Aktion had committed a sin against me.”

“You saw his blood script, then.”

“Yeah. But how could he have sinned against me? I didn’t even know who he was.”

“Hmm. You will understand that naturally when you hear the answer to the next question.”

“The next question? How do you know what I will ask next?”

“Don’t you want to ask where we are?”

“….

Oh. Yeah, that’s exactly what I was going to ask.

“All right then. Where is this place?”

“You probably already know this since you have seen it with the Complete Eye of Omniscience, but this place is called the Embrace of the World.”

“I didn’t ask for some poetic phrase like that. I’m asking what that actually means. Is it the underworld or something?”

Impelium replied calmly.

“No. The underworld is where the souls of the dead go. But neither I, nor Serad, nor any of you who were invited here exist as souls. We all have real bodies.”

“……”

“When the ‘hero chosen by the world’ defeats the Demon King, the world gives that hero a reward for their struggle.”

“What kind of reward?”

“A new world.”

“……?”

“Exactly as it sounds. The world creates a new world and gives it as a gift.”

When I heard that, I stopped trying to understand the words and instead thought…

‘That time at the banquet, when I ate the food and didn’t feel full after returning…’

Was it because this was another world?

So everything that happens here doesn’t affect the original world at all?

‘No. This isn’t the time to drift off like that.’

I must have blanked out a bit because the explanation was so absurd.

Either way, Impelium kept talking.

“In short, this place is my world. Or, to put it in Adin’s childish terms, I’m the god of this world.”

“……”

“Of course, I’m different from what people call Celestial God. I have tried to secretly spread ways for people to think and strive using their own strength.”

“……”

“But that wasn’t easy. In the end, people realized there was something helping them and they started depending on that being… meaning me. They call me by different names in each region and culture, but still. I will have to make sure I don’t end up like Adin.”

My head was about to burst.

I wanted to ask him to slow down a bit.

But before I could, Impelium spoke again.

“And that ‘special room’ that’s the world Aktion was given as his reward. It’s another Embrace of the World.”

“……!”

“That’s why, inside the special room, Aktion is literally a god. The crazy changes in climate and terrain there are probably because his mental state is a mess.”

I took a deep breath.

And slowly let it out.

“This is getting creepy.”

“……”

“Even if this sounds weird, just listen.”

“Go ahead. Take your time.”

“You said this place we are in now is your world. And that the special room is Aktion’s world, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then what about the world I originally lived in? The one where Mide Mohan was born, worked as a mercenary, where the Empire, Alkahad, and the Holy Order of Light exist… the world my party members were born and raised in?”

“……”

Impelium just looked at me quietly.

That look alone was answer enough.

My breathing got heavy.

“That world is yours, Mide.”

“……!”

“You probably defeated some other Demon King, in some other place, an unimaginably long time ago, so long that human numbers can’t even describe it. You have been a hero since then.”

“……”

“And as a reward for that victory, you must have received that world as a gift. That’s the world you were born and raised in.”

Everything went white in front of me.

I covered my eyes with my hand and leaned back in my chair.

After a few deep breaths, I asked,

“Why are you saying it like a guess?”

“Because I can’t see it with the Eye of Omniscience.”

“But it’s supposed to be complete, right?”

“It said it wouldn’t show me. Or maybe it said it didn’t want to show me.”

Huh?

So it’s not that he can’t see it, it just won’t show him?

I was about to ask more, but Impelium changed the subject.

“Now you understand what Aktion’s sin was, right?”

“He ruined my world?”

“Yes. By helping Velosian. Velosian changed the laws of your world.”

“……”

“That’s the most secret and serious kind of sin there is. Even dying a hundred times wouldn’t be enough for Aktion.”

Impelium closed his eyes for a moment, probably to calm himself down.

Good. I needed that time too.

After a while, he spoke again.

“Anyway… now that I have explained this much, I will speak more respectfully. Sir Mide.”

“……”

“I also apologize for calling you my junior earlier. I’m actually many generations below you.”

“Don’t do that.”

“Alright then, I will keep it casual.”

I gave a small laugh.

“You changed your tone fast.”

“It’s been ages since I last used formal speech. Doesn’t feel natural anymore.”

“……Fine. Thanks to you, I have calmed down a bit. Keep going.”

“Sure. But instead of me explaining everything, it might be better if you ask what you’re curious about.”

Impelium refilled his cup and swirled it slowly.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts.

When human greed grows too strong, a Demon King appears.

And when a Demon King appears, a hero always rises to fight them.

When the hero defeats the Demon King, the world creates a new world as a reward.

And in that new world, another Demon King eventually appears.

In ‘Mide Mohan’s World,’ the Demon Kings of Destruction, Greed, Corruption, and so on appeared.

Each time, heroes like Impelium, Grade, Lepia, and Leon rose to fight them.

And every time a hero defeated a Demon King, they were given a new world.

And in each of those new worlds, another Demon King appeared.

‘Then the question I should ask is…’

I looked at Impelium.

“Why is the system of the world like this?”

“Because that’s human nature.”

“……?”

“Think about it. After a Demon King is slain, during the short peace before the next one appears, how much do humans fight among themselves?”

His tone sounded colder than before.

“I’m not saying I agree with Aktion, but I do understand why he became so twisted.”

“……”

“The world didn’t want humanity to destroy itself. So it created a common enemy instead.”

“The Demon King.”

“Right. When there’s a powerful enemy in front of them, humans stop fighting each other.”

He sighed lightly.

“And when a Demon King appears, a hero must also appear. When that hero wins, they get a new world and leave for it.”

“……”

“That’s how humanity spreads across the universe and through different dimensions. It’s a way to expand human territory, to make humans grow and thrive.”

“……”

“It’s both a way to prevent their destruction and to help them advance. Killing two birds with one stone.”

I slowly nodded.

But then another question came to mind.

“What about Grade, Lepia, and Leon?”

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