Zenith had to come down; the South Hero had indeed been a bit too ruthless just now. Fortunately, his main target was Orcini, and he hadn't actually killed anyone, otherwise it would be hard to clean up this mess.
"Harmony brings wealth, right? I'll heal your people up, and we'll let bygones be bygones. After all, we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on, and there's a long road ahead."
Zenith's descent from the sky instantly stunned everyone present. Excluding Serie—that old timer who had returned from the future—humanity hadn't even invented flight magic yet. The sky was still the exclusive domain of monsters and demons.
A mage with the ability to fly? If flight magic could be popularized, it would be a massive boon to humanity.
That was the logic, but Orcini had no intention of letting things go so easily. Getting beaten up for no rhyme or reason—where was he supposed to put his pride as the dignified second-in-line heir to the Eisenhem family?
"This is trampling on the dignity of the nobility! The Eisenhem family will never accept such an insult!"
"I'm an Earl. I outrank you, so listen to me."
Orcini immediately lost his composure. *'Wait, on what grounds are you an Earl?! Where are your manners? Where is your royal procession? If you're an Earl, I'll right here and now...'*
Taking the pure gold-framed title certificate from Zenith—complete with a unique magical signature and a magical hologram—Orcini's face scrunched up in disbelief. It was genuine. But why on earth would an Earl carry his title certificate around with him?
The South Hero naturally recognized Zenith as well, but seeing Zenith winking and making faces at him, he tactfully kept his mouth shut.
Zenith had the wounded gather together, then tossed a few Splash Potions of Healing at the ground. These were among the few AoE healing items he had, even if the radius was admittedly quite small.
"Let me give you a quick rundown. One of the major side effects of the Ring of the Seven Curses is that it infinitely lowers the affection strangers have for you. If things go south, it can breed immediate hostility the moment they lay eyes on you."
Zenith sensed the aura radiating from Orcini, which felt akin to a continuous emotional interference spell. It was as if Orcini was acting as a focal point, constantly radiating a reverse Charm Person spell to his surroundings.
"So you're actually quite lucky you didn't run into anyone else on the way here, otherwise you probably would've had to fight every single group you crossed paths with."
Cold sweat instantly poured down Orcini's face. He hadn't sensed any information about this when he put the ring on! It mentioned lowering affection, but this drop was way too absurd.
At this rate, when he returned to his own city, wouldn't he get ganged up on by his own friendly troops before he even stepped through the gates?
"Time for some special training," Zenith said with a squinty-eyed smile. "Mages can suppress their mana, so there's no reason a warrior can't do the same. As long as you can trap this aura against your skin, the worst that will happen is that people will only feel hostile if you physically touch them."
Even without the influence of the Seven Curses, touching a stranger out of nowhere would piss them off anyway, right? Orcini lowered his head in thought for a moment before suddenly realizing something.
"Where exactly did you learn about the Ring of the Seven Curses?"
The accompanying mage of the Eisenhem family, while perhaps not on par with the old scholars of the royal court who spent years researching magic, was still considered highly knowledgeable.
Even he had never heard the name "Seven Curses," so where did a young man like you get this intel?
"Oh, I made it."
*'A product of Minecraft, an item from a mod. Even if it doesn't have a crafting recipe, rounding it up, it's basically my creation!'* Zenith scratched his head sheepishly and added,
"The side effects are a bit harsh, but the positive buffs are massive and plentiful. Use it with confidence, absolutely nothing will go wrong!"
*'Things are already going wrong!'* The South Hero silently sheathed his swords without a word. However, the sheer power of the Seven Curses accessories was undeniable. Although he hadn't tested the specific effects of that shield yet, the future was already clear in his eyes.
*'He'll make a great teammate!'*
"So rest easy. Once we solve the siege at your hometown, we'll go subjugate the Demon King. We've got a Hero, a tank, and a healer. Now all we need is to find a mage, and our party will be complete!"
That's right, Zenith was also going to subjugate the Demon King. His ambition to kidnap Frieren was still burning strong. By his calculations, Hero Himmel still had over a year before he set off on his journey.
As long as he blew the Demon King to pieces within this year, Himmel would have no reason to leave, right?
For a moment, the South Hero was tempted. Orcini was tempted too.
Zenith's healing output was unquestionable, the South Hero's strength was number one among humanity, and Orcini's aggro-drawing taunt was unbreakable. Indeed, if they just got a decent mage, this Hero Party would be ready to roll!
Once they defeated the Demon King, they would have whatever they wanted—titles, wealth, status!
Orcini's accompanying mage silently raised his hand. "These old bones of mine can still fight for another twenty years, Lord Orcini."
The three of them simultaneously fixed their gazes on him, then quickly shook their heads in unison.
"Too weak."
"You don't look legendary enough."
"If the party is entirely human, people will say it's bad for interspecies unity."
Zenith quickly turned his head to look at Orcini, who had delivered the third line. *'That excuse... no wonder you're a noble! You really know how to spin things!'*
Missing one for a full party—who else could they choose for a teammate but Frieren? Were they supposed to pick Serie? Calculating the time, her consciousness should have already returned to the future after delivering the Goddess's message.
"Let's go, let's go. We'll deal with the demons on your end first. When the time comes, I'll leave you an army of Iron Golems to defend the city, and then we'll go find Frieren."
The South Hero hesitated, looking as though he wanted to say something, but then nodded. "Let's set out first. Saving lives is the highest priority."
With Zenith and the South Hero joining them, a Splash Potion of Swiftness boosted the entire team's speed. After everyone switched to max-speed horses, their travel pace instantly doubled.
Fighting back the urge to hack him to pieces, the South Hero taught Orcini the trick to concealing his aura and suppressing the Seven Curses. After a few days, it was already showing initial results.
At the very least, one wouldn't feel that extreme sense of disgust until they got within five meters of Orcini.
Flying the banner of the Eisenhem family, the group began encountering scattered demons on their ninth day of travel. By the tenth day, they finally saw the walls and protective barrier of Helmut City in the distance.
Along with a dense, swarming horde of demons and monsters.
"Visually, I'd estimate about fifty thousand." Standing on horseback and gazing into the distance, the South Hero drew his twin swords, already prepared for battle. "Not a huge number. As long as we slaughter their high-ranking commanders, this mob won't be able to make any waves."
Orcini felt his hands trembling slightly. It was here. His chance to prove himself had arrived. He would rely on the power of the Seven Curses to prove to his father that he was more talented than his older brother and far more suited to be the heir to the title.
*'These two really are guys accustomed to the existence of war. What do you mean fifty thousand isn't a huge number?!'*
In contrast, this was truly the first time Zenith had ever seen so many people gathered in one place. It was a dense, teeming sea of heads. The light and shadows of magic blotted out the sky, and the roars of battle shook the heavens. Even from miles away, he could almost smell the metallic tang of blood drifting in the air.
This was war. It was truly awe-inspiring, on a completely different level from the petty squabbles of adventuring and dueling.
"Don't rush in. Let me make some preemptive preparations first. There are too many people, I'm getting a little panicked."
Fifty thousand was simply too many. Even if he used a super-tier magic like Fallen Down, it would take half the day to blast them all. But that would be a bit too arrogant, and it felt like it would steal the spotlight.
Zenith was much more interested in building up the South Hero's party rather than just rushing in and brute-forcing it himself. Was he supposed to leave statues of himself all over the world like Hero Himmel?
...
*'Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea.'*
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