Chapter 379
Chapter 379. Bloodline and Family Tree
There’s a system called “Ship Guardian.” This means that Heroes and Priests (most of whom can perform healing miracles) are dispatched to ships to handle various issues during the voyage.
Recently, due to the damn Demon Lord Army, the Holy Church has been short on personnel, so it’s common for even large ships to lack a Priest if the route is short; however, on the medium-sized passenger ship NeedAlun, both Arthur and I are onboard.
As the captain expressed his gratitude, it’s quite a stroke of luck. Well, if you ignore the fact that we’re heading straight into possibly vampire-infested areas while patrolling the routes from the southeastern to northeastern shores of Aulitos Lake.
“Well, having both you and Arthur aboard is significantly better, right?”
That’s true. If the vampires underestimate the medium-sized ship and attack, I’ll show them who’s boss. That depends on how many of them show up, though.
That said, the main dangers during the voyage are the lake pirates and aquatic magical beasts rather than vampires. The Ship Guardians, who need to respond to those threats, can be said to have the “duty” to relax and rest their bodies when things are calm.
“I can handle high-level healing too, so don’t hesitate to ask if you get hurt.”
On the deck, Arthur reclined comfortably in a deck chair with a relaxed look, shielding himself from the direct sunlight with a parasol while sipping cold mint tea through a straw. Without his gear, he looked just like a tourist.
Seriously, he’s so relaxed! I could tell he had completely let his guard down. Unlike the battlefield against the Demon Lord Army, up here on the ship, there aren’t any night elf arrows flying around, nor are there sudden deadly curses being hurled. The crew handles lookout duty, so it’s totally fine to be completely relaxed.
While this could lead to carelessness for some, Arthur is a man who can hold his own against a gigantic Kraken; he has the credentials…
On the other hand, I enjoyed fishing on the ship before, but that just means I wasted my stamina, so I probably wouldn’t pass as a proper Ship Guardian. Though, I wasn’t a Ship Guardian; I was just a volunteer hero.
“It really is reassuring to have someone who can heal.”
I leaned back in my deck chair next to Arthur, crossing my arms behind my head as I relaxed too.
For a Hero to be able to perform high-level miracles means he either had an environment conducive to training since childhood or he’s exceptionally talented.
Furthermore, to have become a Hero without being tossed into the Priest course means he either has incredible talent in swordsmanship, or maybe he lacks talent as a commander or perhaps—
“We come from a long line of Heroes.”
It was as if Arthur read my mind, shrugging his shoulders.
“Once I step back, I’ll switch to becoming a Priest, but basically, I’m still a ‘Hero.'”
“Oh, really? So the Hilburn family is like that. Is there a possibility you’re related to the ancient Hero King Arthur?”
“That’s exactly it; the Hero King is one of my ancestors.”
“Oh! That’s amazing!”
A lineage far more distinguished than any mediocre royalty!
“Seems like you’re famous.”
If you have anything to do with the Holy Church, you’ve probably heard of him once.
The Hero King Arthur, king during humanity’s dawn. He’s said to be one of the chosen heroes who vanquished humanity’s enemies along the shores of Aulitos Lake, significantly expanding humanity’s realm.
Normally, with his overwhelming charisma and prowess, he would have reigned as royalty, but the Hero King Arthur was apparently a man of action. It seems he found it hard to juggle the fight against humanity’s foes and politics, so he entrusted governance to others—essentially, he abdicated the throne—and remained a Hero. Truly, he was a protector of humankind at heart.
Still, he was a king for a time and held enormous popularity and influence; today he’s called the “Hero King.” His children and grandchildren continued to manifest holy attributes, and they remain members of the Holy Church to this day—
I’d heard that story in my past life too. It’s not guaranteed that holy attributes get passed down, but families like that do exist.
And in my previous life, I thought of it as “the favor of the gods,” but now—
“‘Be the shield of the innocent and the sword to vanquish evil. Here stands the Hilburn Hero’—that’s our family motto.”
Arthur smiled, reciting the motto as if singing it. He must have repeated this story dozens or even hundreds of times—
“This myth supports the Hilburn family, doesn’t it?”
The thoughts of people that the Hilburn family descends from the Hero King are what make the Hilburns heroic. That’s how it is.
“By the way, I’m just bragging here.”
“Oh?”
“This here is the Hero King’s weapon passed down in our family.”
Arthur lifted a small shield from his left arm to show me.
“No way?!”
Whoa! I involuntarily shot up in my deck chair.
I figured it was Dwarven craftsmanship, given the immense magical power it radiated! It’s truly legendary equipment!!
“Does it have a name?! Like, what do you call it?!”
“‘Avalon’—that’s what it’s called.”
As if responding to Arthur’s words, the shield shimmered brilliantly.
“Whoa! No kidding! You’re seriously inheriting it…!!”
He’s recognized as the owner! It’s been inherited! This is amazing!!
“Isn’t this a little overboard?”
But come on, this is literally a legend! It exists right here, wow!
“Since it shares the same name as the Hero King, it feels just right to be his rightful heir…!”
When I commented this, Arthur chuckled meaningfully. Wait, what’s with that implication? Is there some real ‘magic’ going on here?
…Considering how he held his ground against that Kraken, it makes sense. He seems to possess magical power that’s extraordinary for a human, huh? Could he really be the real deal—a reincarnation of the Hero King…?
—Would Arthur’s blade be able to reach the Demon Lord?
Before I knew it, I was observing this young man before me with such thoughts, likely one of humanity’s top heroes currently.
If Arthur had been part of the Demon Lord Castle assault plan—
…Oh, wait, he was still a kid back then…But still, hmm.
“That’s impossible,” Antendeixis mercilessly dismissed. Indeed, I thought so too. The Demon Lord is on a different dimension. If there were fifty Arthurs, it might be a fair fight.
“…Once the vacation is over, I’ll return to the front lines, though.”
Arthur gazed at the ship’s path, eyes distant, as if interpreting my gaze.
“There are many things that I can’t solve with just my own power. If only I had strength similar to that of my ancestors…”
“Well… there’s bound to be some exaggeration in that.”
They say the Hero King Arthur split a lake with a single swing of his sword, but come on, that’s got to be embellished…
“You’re coming back from the front lines too, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Anything you’re good at? Just wanted to ask that.”
Ah, so it’s come to this.
Well, I was prepared for it.
I clapped my hands together and set up a soundproof barrier as usual. Arthur looked curious—
“My attribute is darkness.”
I revealed a tiny bit of thick magical power from my fingertips. “Oh shining light of holiness, come to me”—and immediately colored it silver.
“…!”
Arthur jerked up in his deck chair, surprised, just like I had moments before.
“…I’m astonished. Could something like that be possible?”
But he quickly returned to his original position. More interest than shock showed in his expression.
Ah, so you understand the ‘mechanism’ of the holy attribute…?
“Of course, with a family like yours, you’d obviously be well aware.”
Exactly. That makes things simpler in a way.
“It’s that kind of family.”
I answered nonchalantly.
Not lying at all. I come from a family that has been blessed with dark attributes for generations.
“Well, I’m something of an odd one even within my family.”
“Guess so. No, I’m surprised; I’ve never seen anything like it…”
“Would you mind sharing your affiliation?”
“I’m keeping silent.”
“Thought so.”
Arthur chuckled softly.
“So, that kind of family, and you’re skilled in secret arts… I see.”
“Sorry, but I can’t share much about it. My specialty is just the cut-and-thrust, and a bit of information gathering through secret arts.”
—Then I briefly conveyed that aside from the protective spells and soundproof barriers I knew, I could mainly empower spells with holy silver and weaken opponents with curses.
With this, it became a bit easier to use “Forbidden” magic in front of Arthur. I could just label it as cursing. I need to be careful that the chant isn’t overheard.
†††
Afterwards, nothing particularly eventful happened, and we arrived at the next town just before dusk.
We’d stay docked for a full day, so we wouldn’t be setting sail until the morning after tomorrow.
“This town has some great restaurants. I can get us a reservation through my connections, so you should go with your girlfriend.”
“Oh, hey, thanks.”
As we talked like that and disembarked with Arthur—
“Darling!”
A woman’s voice.
“Daddy!”
And a child’s voice, too.
From the crowd, I spotted a tearful woman and a young girl rushing towards us—
“Silvia! Lisa!”
Arthur’s face lit up with a smile as he ran toward them.
“Long time no see! How have you two been?”
“You… you’re safe!”
“Daddy! I missed you so much!!”
He hugged both of them at once, raining kisses upon them. Uh… wait…
“Um… Arthur? Who are those people…?”
“Oh, Alex. Let me introduce you.”
With a smile, Arthur wrapped an arm around the woman’s shoulder.
“This is my wife, Silvia. And this is our daughter, Lisa.”
What… the hell…
Could it be—you’re Diagias!?
